Barrel

This article is about the object. For the minigame in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, see Barrel (minigame).

Barrel
Artwork from Donkey Kong Country Returns
First appearance	Donkey Kong (1981)
Latest appearance	Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (2024)

Barrels (also called Plain Barrels, Wooden Barrels, Normal Barrels, or Regular Barrels) in the Super Mario franchise are objects most commonly used as projectiles for attacking other characters. In their original appearance, Donkey Kong, Barrels were used as such by the titular Donkey Kong against Mario, with the mechanic returning in Donkey Kong Country and subsequent games to aid Donkey Kong in defeating enemies. However, there are many exceptions from this mechanic, since in some games, barrels function as platforms or as simple item containers. Their physical appearance might change slightly between appearances, such as the number of hoops rimming the barrels, their tints and coloration, and their size.

Many variations of the normal barrel appear in the games, and a list where each of them is mentioned can be found below. Largely due to its iconic role in the original arcade game and its use in the Donkey Kong Country series, the barrel has often been associated with Donkey Kong in his appearances, much like bananas.

History

Donkey Kong franchise

Donkey Kong

Artwork of a barrel from Donkey Kong.

Barrels in Donkey Kong are obstacles encountered only in the first level, 25m. The first obstacle faced by Mario is a blue barrel thrown by Donkey Kong. When blue barrels roll into the oil drum, they spawn Fireballs. If there are five Fireballs onscreen at the same time, Donkey Kong stops rolling blue barrels, and any remaining blue barrels do not create a Fireball unless Mario thins their number. Donkey Kong mostly rolls brown barrels at Mario which he can then jump over. By jumping over a barrel, Mario is granted 100 points. However, barrels can sometimes roll down ladders. Occasionally, Donkey Kong throws a brown barrel directly at Mario which goes through several girders. The very first blue barrel is also thrown like this but no other blue barrel behaves in this manner. By using a hammer, he can smash the barrels, awarding him 300 points for brown ones. Smashing blue barrels gives a random score of either 300, 500, or 800 points. If Mario comes in contact with a barrel, he loses a life.

Barrels in the Game & Watch version and its remakes within the Game & Watch Gallery series are thrown by Donkey Kong like before, but Mario cannot destroy them like before.

Barrels in the Game Boy version are nearly an exact imitation of their appearance in the original arcade game, meaning that barrels appear once again in the 25m stage. When Mario jumps over one, he is awarded 100 points, just like in the original game. Nevertheless, the player only earns 300 points upon destroying a barrel with a hammer, unlike in the arcade Donkey Kong. Later in the game, Donkey Kong still uses barrels as attacks occasionally. When a rolling barrel encounters an edge and falls down to the platform underneath, Mario needs to perform a handstand right under the falling barrel and stop it with his feet. The barrel then lands upright, and it can be picked up so Mario can throw the barrel back at Donkey Kong in order to damage him. This is the only game where barrels can actually crush Mario, via falling on him or running him over.

Donkey Kong Circus

A barrel in Donkey Kong Circus has to be balanced on by Donkey Kong in the manner of a circus ball while being watched by Mario. Donkey Kong has to dodge fireballs that fall from the oil drums above, and juggle pineapples, all while riding the barrel.

Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Land series

Artwork of Donkey Kong getting set to throw a barrel

Donkey Kong Country introduces several types of barrels that the Kongs can use to attack enemies. Regular barrels appear frequently in many levels throughout the game and can be picked up and carried by pressing the button on the SNES controller while the playable character is in front of the barrel. Donkey Kong lifts the barrel above his head, while Diddy Kong carries it in front of his body. The barrel can then be tossed by releasing the button, after which it rolls on the ground ahead until it hits a wall or goes off-camera. Barrels can also phase through enemies and defeat them, although touching an enemy with a barrel while carrying it will result in the barrel breaking as well as the enemy being taken out. In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, barrels can break if they collide with an enemy while rolling. Regular barrels are needed to destroy tough or well-protected enemies, including Zingers and Krushas, and are sometimes needed to take down bosses, such as Queen B., Kreepy Krow or Baron K. Roolenstein. During boss battles, there are specific methods of acquiring barrels: they can either spawn repeatedly without the player's input, appear after defeating a living Mini-Necky, or fall from the ceiling after the player pulls some pipes.

Some enemies also use barrels themselves. Manky Kongs toss them at the Kongs, similar to Donkey Kong in the original arcade game. When Rambi bumps into a barrel thrown by a Manky Kong, the barrel does not break, but instead simply falls off-screen.

Diddy Kong and a Krusha standing next to a lone barrel in Donkey Kong Land.

After Donkey Kong Country, barrels retain the same functions they had in the aforementioned game. Despite being common in Donkey Kong Land 2 and Donkey Kong Land III, the first Donkey Kong Land features only three barrels, each in Jungle Jaunt, Freezing Fun, and Tricky Temple. In this game, barrels are smaller and take the form of wooden kegs.

In Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Country 3, Dixie Kong can lift barrels over her head with her ponytail. In Donkey Kong Country 3, Kiddy Kong's method of holding barrels is the same as Diddy Kong's.

Kiddy bouncing on some barrels that drop down a waterfall

Other enemies are shown to use barrels as well. As stated above, Manky Kongs use barrels from an unlimited supply as weapons and always toss them towards the Kongs. Kannons from Donkey Kong Country 2 shoot barrels that can be destroyed with a jump attack or by hitting a wall. Klobbers, also from Donkey Kong Country 2, hide inside barrels that look identical to normal barrels. When the Kongs approach the barrel, the Klobber inside will start ramming into them. If they are stomped on the head, the barrel can be carried around and thrown like a normal barrel. In Donkey Kong Country 3, very similar foes called Knockas use barrels in the same manner, only that now these are painted green with a grin. Belcha, the first boss of Donkey Kong Country 3, is a large, animated barrel. It emits barrels from a hole that serves as a mouth. When these barrels are jumped on, they will break and yellow Knik-Knaks will come out.

In some instances, barrels also act as platforms. This is shown in Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Land 2, where they stay either aligned or stacked on top of each other on the ship deck levels, such as Gangplank Galley and Rattle Battle. They technically function as terrain not only for the players, but also for enemies and other objects. However, barrels that aren't just foreground elements, as the player and/or the environment can interact with them, are mainly featured in Donkey Kong Country 3. Ellie the Elephant is able to suck up and transport barrels with her trunk, and then throw them in the water; if done correctly, the barrels come to the surface of the river, and thus Ellie can use them as pseudo-bridges to pass the dangerous water guarded by Nibblas. This can be seen in Bobbing Barrel Brawl. In the stage Barrel Drop Bounce, many barrels fall down the waterfall here. The cause of their appearance is not shown, but they break upon hitting ground. While they are still falling, the Kongs can hop on them and quickly jump again on solid platforms; rows of barrels dropping down can also be encountered and stepped on in order to reach further platforms.

Barrels reappear in Donkey Kong Country Returns and its Nintendo 3DS version. While using barrels as items are about the same as the previous games, it does not retain the ability to kill enemies while holding the barrel; rather the Kong holding the barrel will drop it when taking damage. Also, instead of throwing it overhead, the Kong holding it will throw it straight forward. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port keeps these changes, but brings back the throwing barrel animation to an overhead throw.

Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle

Illustration showing Diddy Kong lodging a barrel inside the mouth of a Klap Trap.

Barrels in Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle are used by the novel's characters on several occasions. Before the Kongs leave their treehouse to travel to Big Ape City, Donkey Kong fills his backpack with "miniature barrels", including some that "could even explode" (referring to TNT barrels). In Tree Top Town, the Kremlings use barrel cannons from high up in the trees, which fire "dangerous barrels". The Kongs overcome them by slinging TNT Barrels at them using a tree branch. After rescuing Funky Kong from his prison cell in Big Ape City's factory, Donkey Kong hands Funky and Diddy Kong some barrels to use against a group of Kremlings. Diddy manages to hang from the ceiling, and drop barrels from above.

Later, Donkey Kong tricks Krusha into thinking that he has a list of the locations of all the Kongs on Donkey Kong Island within his backpack. Krusha allows Donkey Kong to reach into his backpack for the list, but he pulls out a barrel instead and uses it to knock Krusha out. Within the Kremling's supply room, Diddy Kong lodges a barrel in the jaws of Klap Trap, which allows time for Diddy to retrieve a spare plane part for Funky Kong. Within King K. Rool's zeppelin, Donkey Kong and Diddy confront several Kremling guards with "double jumps, cartwheel attacks, and barrels left and right". They later plant time-delayed TNT barrels throughout the zeppelin, causing it to fall on to the Kremling's factory and explode.

Despite the novel describing the use of "miniature barrels", their illustrated size in proportion to Diddy Kong and Klap Trap appears to be closer to a regular-sized barrel.

Donkey Kong 64

Barrels in Donkey Kong 64 have a few purposes. One of them is being a design patterns for many constructions, such as Cranky's Lab and the slot machine of the Batty Barrel Bandit!. Barrels are still worn by Klobbers, which return as enemies. Although a Barrel is in the main menu, being lifted by Donkey Kong while he waits for the player to select an option, Barrels are seldomly used as objects during the main game itself. Barrels are first used in one of Cranky Kong's training minigames, then much later on in Diddy Kong's igloo from Crystal Caves, and lastly by Lanky Kong in the final boss fight against King K. Rool. The barrels in the boss fight each depict a small banana peel on the side and must be thrown by Lanky onto the ground to reveal a large banana peel, which Lanky can trick K. Rool into running on by playing Trombone Tremor, depending on where K. Rool is at. Least notably, relatively big barrels serve only for decorative purposes inside the main sunken ship of Gloomy Galleon and inside the barn with the club-wielding Kosha in Fungi Forest.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

Sequence of a level in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Notice the barrel at the upper left of the screen, which already contains 66 bananas.

Barrels in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat are used to transport Donkey Kong to different kingdoms. These barrels all have a letter in front of them, with each letter spelling out the initials of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. The D Barrel links to the Banana Kingdom, Orange Kingdom, Watermelon Kingdom, and Apple Kingdom. The K Barrel warps the player to the Strawberry Kingdom, Pineapple Kingdom, Lemon Kingdom, and Grape Kingdom. The J Barrel goes to the Cherry Kingdom, Peach Kingdom, Melon Kingdom, and Durian Kingdom. The B Barrel introduces the player into the Pear Kingdom, Lychee Kingdom, Chili Pepper Kingdom, and Star Fruit Kingdom. Completing all the kingdoms in each barrel allows Donkey Kong access to the next barrel.

A large barrel is also the heads-up display at the upper left corner of the screen, displaying the number of bananas that Donkey Kong has collected in the level he is currently in. This very barrel is used by Donkey Kong to transport the bananas.

DK: King of Swing / DK: Jungle Climber

Barrels in DK: King of Swing and DK: Jungle Climber are merely harmless obstacles appearing in most levels, and can be broken if the player charges into them. Upon destruction, they reveal bonuses, such as bananas and medals. Before getting destroyed, barrels can be stood on, just like on ground. In DK: King of Swing only, the player can store the first 50 bananas collected throughout the game inside a barrel, which is shown on the bottom right corner of the screen as an icon. The bananas can be consumed by the Kong to gain invincibility, and if the player has less than fifty bananas left afterwards, the barrel disappears and make room for four or less bunches of ten bananas.

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast

Barrels in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast appear as obstacles. If a character flies into a barrel, they will break it and severely decelerate. They can be avoided by jumping over them. Characters can also charge into them with a Wild Move and destroy them successfully without slowing down; breaking a barrel this way awards the player five bananas. A while after a barrel gets destroyed, another one spawns in its place. Along with normal barrels, Iron Barrels can be found throughout the courses.

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros. Special

Barrels in Super Mario Bros. Special are uncommon obstacles credited as Tarusar. They are introduced in World 3-4 and continue to appear occasionally throughout the game. Tarusars retain their physics from Donkey Kong, in that they roll continuously towards Mario. Their source is not seen, but they always fall from a certain height onto the ground before they start rolling. Mario cannot destroy Tarusars with a stomp or fireballs, but he can use a Hummer to destroy them in World 3-4. They can also be beaten by punching them from beneath a brick.

Super Mario Sunshine

Barrels, referred to as "Water Barrels" in the Prima Games guidebook, are throwable items in Super Mario Sunshine that are filled with water. They break when the collide with the ground, causing them to release large amounts of water that damages nearby enemies and washes away goop. Using barrels to wash away goop is significantly faster than it would be with FLUDD. Barrels can also be ground-pounded to refill FLUDD's tank. These barrels are especially useful in Episode 6 of Sirena Beach, where Mario must clean goop covering a large portion of the beach very quickly. In Episode 4 of Pianta Village, a single barrel can be used to cool down the overheated Chain Chomp instantly.

New Super Mario Bros.

Barrels in New Super Mario Bros. appear as platforms buoying on water in World 3-A and World 8-2, but sink while Mario or Luigi stand on them, unless either brother is in his Mini form.

Super Mario Galaxy

Barrels in Super Mario Galaxy are inhabited by Roctos, which shoot projectiles at Mario or Luigi. The barrels can be destroyed and the enemies consequently defeated by spinning onto one of their projectiles to send it back.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Barrels in New Super Mario Bros. Wii appear as objects that can be picked up and thrown, and the buoy-like barrels from New Super Mario Bros. reappear in World 4-2, functioning identically as before. As projectiles, upon touching the ground, barrels will start rolling continuously in a direction until they crash into a wall or a spiked ball, and can be used to attack enemies or even other players. Barrels in World 7-Ghost House can be punched by Broozers to start rolling toward the player.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Barrels in Super Mario Galaxy 2 have the same role as in Super Mario Galaxy, acting as cover for Roctos. They are encountered in Shiverburn Galaxy and Grandmaster Galaxy. A boss character named Prince Pikante also drives a small tank which is composed of an armored barrel.

Super Mario 3D Land

Bowser throws barrels in a similar manner to Donkey Kong

Barrels in Super Mario 3D Land appear at one point during the final boss battle with Bowser, who throws large barrels at Mario or Luigi, a reference to the original Donkey Kong arcade game. The only way to destroy these barrels is by having the characters touch them in White Tanooki form.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Barrels in New Super Mario Bros. 2 appear as sinkable platforms in the water of World 3-1, functioning identically as in the predecessors.

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

Barrels in New Super Mario Bros. U and its Nintendo Switch port return as projectiles in Ghost Houses with Broozers. Barrels in New Super Luigi U appear only in the level Broozers and Barrels.

Super Mario Odyssey

Mario encountering Barrels in Super Mario Odyssey

Barrels in Super Mario Odyssey are encountered as obstacles in 8-bit segments of Metro Kingdom and the Darker Side, taking on their sprite design from Donkey Kong. Most of the time, they come out of Girders and roll on the ground until they fall into an oil drum. Donkey Kong also throws barrels just like in the original arcade game. Mario must jump over barrels to dodge them, otherwise he loses one wedge of his health meter. Stationary, harmless barrels appear as platforms in some areas of the Metro Kingdom and the Seaside Kingdom, outside the 8-bit sections, and while they cannot be destroyed, hitting one with Cappy or with a Ground Pound grants one coin.

Mario & Wario

A barrel in Mario & Wario is used by Wario to cover Mario's sight in Kumotori Yama.

Wario Land series

Large barrels in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 and Wario Land II are present as platforms in mostly maritime areas, like the Rice Beach or the SS Tea Cup.

Barrels in Wario Land 3 have a small, keg-like shape and can be carried by Wario. They are functionally similar to ice blocks from Wario Land II in that they can be picked up and hurled at enemies or blocks to destroy them. Barrels break instantly when they are thrown to the ground or if attacked with a Smash Attack or a shoulder charge. However, they respawn in their default location after Wario goes off-screen from where a barrel initially appears and returns to that position after that. In addition, barrels can be stood on, serving as platforms. Barrels appear in Desert Ruins, The Volcano's Base, The West Crater, The Grasslands, The Big Bridge, The Warped Void, and The East Crater.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Barrels in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars are grouped into piles in the Sunken Ship, usually functioning as stairs for Mario to reach a higher floor. Later in the game, one of the puzzles hosted by Dr. Topper inside Bowser's Keep has the player guess how many barrels are stacked up in a large heap seen from the usual in-game perspective. In another area of Bowser's Keep, Mario confronts a Chained Kong that stands atop a high place in a lofty room and hurls barrels down several stairs. The barrels push Mario down the stairs if they hit him, making him lose some coins in the process.

Super Smash Bros. series

Artwork of a wooden barrel from Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Barrels in the Super Smash Bros. series are container items in every installment. They contain one to four items and can roll along inclines, similarly to crates. They also sometimes explode when broken. Starting with Super Smash Bros. Brawl, barrels have three different appearances, being either wooden, futuristic and made of stone, or wrapped like a present, with the one used depending on the stage in which they appear; they all function identically, however.

In their trophy descriptions throughout the series, Barrels are associated with the Super Smash Bros. series, not the Super Mario franchise. This distinction is further present from the Super Smash Bros. logo on top of the barrel.

Barrels can be picked up by pressing on the Nintendo 64 Controller and thrown by pressing the same button again, upon which the barrel rolls continuously until hitting a wall.

Mario Party series

Barrels in the Roll Out the Barrels minigame from Mario Party 2

Barrels in the Mario Party: The Top 100 version of Jump, Man

Barrels in the Mario Party series appear mostly in minigames. In Mario Party 2 are used to hide items in a shell game, Roll Out the Barrels. A Barrel in Mario Party 3 is the object that the solo player is stuck inside of during the minigame Coconut Conk, and if they are hit by a coconut dropped by one of the other three characters, they lose. Barrels in Mario Party 5 have to be punched by players to collect bananas during the Banana Punch minigame. Barrels in Mario Party 6 are among the objects drawn toward a giant Blooper by a whirlpool in the minigame Blooper Scooper, and will break from crashing into the Blooper or the players; if a player is hit by a barrel, they will be knocked towards the Blooper. A Barrel in Mario Party Advance is worn by the playable character during the minigame Barrel Peril, and they can hide inside the barrel to protect themself from Chain Chomps guarding the area. Barrels in Mario Party 7 are obstacles that roll down the slopes in the minigame Jump, Man, slowing either the player or Donkey Kong if they are hit. Barrels in Mario Party 8 appear in the minigame Blazing Lassos, where the player must lasso barrels with point values marked on each one while spinning on a wheel. Barrels in Mario Party: The Top 100 appear only in the returning minigame, Jump, Man, and Mario Party Superstars similarly only includes Barrels in two returning minigames: Roll Out the Barrels from Mario Party 2 and Coconut Conk from Mario Party 3.

Barrels in Mario Party 8 also appear on a board, DK's Treetop Temple, where they are involved in two Green Spaces: one of the Green Spaces involves three Ukikis chasing characters away by rolling on barrels, also referred to as Monkey Barrels, while the other involves the DK Barrel Cannon.

WarioWare series

Barrels in the WarioWare series appear in the Donkey Kong microgame of WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! and WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!, where Barrels are being rolled down at Mario from Donkey Kong, and the former must jump over them. Barrels in WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase and WarioWare Gold appear in a similar microgame where the player must destroy barrels that come towards Mario as he moves automatically on the beams.

Wario World

Barrels in Wario World are throwable objects that sometimes contain coins or garlic. They appear during the battle with Captain Skull, and can be destroyed from either being thrown or any of Wario and Captain Skull's attacks. Barrels can knock out Captain Skull if thrown at him, and either a barrel or Captain Skull's bombs must be thrown at him during second half of the battle, when he becomes immune to Wario's punches.

Mario Golf series

Barrels in the Mario Golf series make a minor appearance as tee markers in Congo Canopy of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and in DK Jungle of Mario Golf: World Tour. A Barrel in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour is also used by Donkey Kong during his animation for getting a Double Bogey or lower, where he throws a barrel angrily, then he pounds his arms up and down.

Mario Kart series

A trophy for the Banana Cup depicting a banana peel atop a miniature barrel

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Although barrels do not appear in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the Barrel Train kart is designed after a barrel.

Mario Kart Arcade GP subseries

A Barrel in Mario Kart Arcade GP, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, and Mario Kart Arcade GP DX is one of Donkey Kong's special items, and it can be sent rolling forward or backward to attack opponents.

Mario Kart 7

Barrels in Mario Kart 7 appear as obstacles in Wario Shipyard, greatly slowing down any character who crashes into them. However, Barrels will also break and potentially drop an object such as a Mushroom or a Banana Peel in regular races. In DK Jungle, there are DK Barrels for obstacles, but they function identically to Barrels. Barrels in Time Trial are shielded by metallic bars, so they cannot be destroyed.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Barrels in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe appear as obstacles and as noninteractive background elements. As obstacles, barrels appear on the airship section of Cloudtop Cruise, the boardwalk part of Wild Woods, in Toad Harbor, and on the main route in N64 Yoshi Valley. As background elements, barrels that are decorated with flowers appear on the sidelines, but the Barrel obstacles of Toad Harbor also have this design, and Bone-Dry Dunes has some barrels stacked up together and placed under the tents surrounding the finish line.

Mario Kart Tour

A barrel in Mario Kart Tour

Barrels in Mario Kart Tour are obstacles on London Loop, London Loop 2, London Loop 3, Singapore Speedway 3, Rome Avanti 2, DS Airship Fortress, 3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon's Break Item Boxes challenge, and 3DS Wario Shipyard, functioning like they do in previous games.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

A barrel and a golden barrel in Barrel Temple's course icon

Barrels in the version 1.1.0 update for Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit appear in the course Barrel Temple, being thrown in various areas. Regular barrels block the player's kart while a golden variety yields rewards.

Mario & Luigi series

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

Barrels in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its remake have a few minor roles. They are part of Bink's identically named minigame, where the player has to arrange rows of barrels of the same color. In several locations, such as Chucklehuck Woods and Woohoo Hooniversity, there are barrels that Luigi can enter from underneath to solve puzzles. In the latter location, there is a segment where Mario has to jump over rolling barrels in a similar manner to the original Donkey Kong game. In Bowser's Castle, Luigi is trapped inside a barrel by Larry, and must bounce a fireball back at Larry a number of times before he can continue.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Barrels in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam appear only in battles. They are dropped by Bowser Jr. and Paper Bowser Jr. at the trio, forcing the brothers to run while the bosses shoot fireballs at them. Barrels are also utilized by Broozers and Paper Broozers to attack, by dropping a barrel in front of themselves and ramming it into the trio, and the resulting effect depends on which type of barrel was hit by which type of Broozer.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong series

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong carries a barrel, in an artwork for Mario vs. Donkey Kong.

Barrels in Mario vs. Donkey Kong are relatively common objects, especially in Donkey Kong Jungle, that be picked up and thrown by Mario, like in the Game Boy remake of Donkey Kong. A barrel can be carried by Mario to any accessible place and either tossed at enemies, or placed as a platform for Mario to reach higher places. Barrels can similarly be placed on spikes to get across them. The only boss battles where Donkey Kong uses barrels against Mario are Level 3-DK, Level 3-DK+, and Donkey Kong Plus, the final battle. Barrels thrown by Donkey Kong can be deflected with a handstand and then used as normal. A giant barrel is brought by the three Toads in the Donkey Kong boss level to knock Donkey Kong down a floor with each hit. There is also a variant that only appears in the final battle (and, in the remake, in the Merry Mini-Land and Slippery Summit fights against Donkey Kong) that has spikes covering it, hurting Mario on contact regardless of whether it was blocked with a handstand or not.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis

Barrels in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis are obstacles that fall from above, amongst other debris, when Donkey Kong shakes the screen in the boss level of Mushroom Mayhem. A barrel can destroy a Mini on contact.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!

Barrels in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! are obstacles functionally identical to the previous game. They appear in Floor G Donkey Kong, which plays out almost identically to the Mushroom Mayhem boss battle from Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!

Barrels in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! are frequently used by Donkey Kong in his battles to attack the Minis, where he often slams his fists on the ground, causing a barrel to drop from the pile. Like before, a barrel can destroy a Mini upon contact. However, barrels break when they reach the ground or any other platform. Shortly after a barrel is used, another one spawns in its place.

Mario Baseball series

Barrels are the focus of the minigame Barrel Batter in Mario Superstar Baseball

Barrels in both games of the Mario Baseball series, Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers, appear mainly in a stadium that represents a homage to the Donkey Kong games: Donkey Kong Jungle and DK Jungle respectively. Both feature Barrel Cannons out of their bounds, which shoot large barrels. These roll on the stadiums' fields and hinder the baseball players from getting the ball if they stand before them. Barrels roll continuously until they slam into a wall, in which case they crumble and despawn.

In the Mario Superstar Baseball version of the stadium, a minigame called Barrel Batter takes place. In this minigame, the batter has to launch the ball with his bat into rows of colored barrels that stay right in the front of the player. The more barrels of the same color hit consequently, the more points the player gains.

The Mario Super Sluggers version of the stadium hosts another minigame, titled Barrel Basher. The batter is given a small wall in front of him/her which serves as a shield against the many rapid barrels (and also powerful Bob-ombs) that come from several Barrel Cannons. Despite the protection granted by the shield, the safety of the player is still precarious, as the barrels can damage the shield upon bumping into it. The target in the minigame is to destroy as many barrels as the player can and prevent the wall from falling apart. If not broken in time, the barrels may successfully uncover the player by destroying the wall, breaking the player's combo streak, and leaving them exposed to other dangerous barrel. It takes three barrels, but one Bob-omb to break part of the shield. If the player gets hit, the game does the same animation as when hit by the ball in-game, and regardless of the player's score, they instantly lose the minigame. Upon breaking a barrel, the score of the player increases; some of the barrels are shiny and are more worthy than regular barrels. There is also a red giant barrel in the special level. If the player does not break the barrel completely before it reaches the barrier, the entire shield will be destroyed and the minigame will automatically end.

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

A barrel sticker from Paper Mario: Sticker Star.

Barrels in Paper Mario: Sticker Star appear as rare stickers, two of which may appear if the player defeats the Broozers on Bowser Jr.'s Flotilla. During any battle, the barrel sticker provides an actual wooden barrel, which Mario can use to defeat a single enemy, with an attack power of three to five points. The Barrel may also be placed into the Sticker Museum as #90, alongside other enemy-based stickers.

Paper Mario: Color Splash

It has been requested that this section be rewritten and expanded to include more information. Reason: Explain the bigger barrels

A barrel in Paper Mario: Color Splash

Barrels in Paper Mario: Color Splash are environmental objects that can broken from Mario's hammer to release paint, similarly to crates. Barrels appear in areas such as Port Prisma. Bigger, unbreakable barrels also appear. The Wringer's takes place inside of a horizontal barrel.

Paper Mario: The Origami King

Barrels in Paper Mario: The Origami King are objects that can be broken by Mario's hammer, like in the previous game. Barrels now usually contain coins or confetti, but they occasionally trap Toads needing to be rescued. There is a Toad trapped inside a large barrel on Spade Island. Mario must locate the four other Toads on the island, who wedge themselves into the barrel to burst it open, freeing their friend.

NES Remix series

Barrels in NES Remix and Ultimate NES Remix are obstacles in many challenges taking place in 25m of Donkey Kong, and most of these challenges require the hero to jump over one or even more rolling barrels at once, or to jump over a set number of them. Like in Donkey Kong, 100 points are earned once Mario jumps over a barrel.

Mario Tennis Aces

Stacks of barrels in Mario Tennis Aces

Barrels in Mario Tennis Aces are objects that can be destroyed for three coins in the Shy Guy Train Tussle challenge, requiring two hits with a regular ball or one hit with a ball under the effect of a Super Mushroom or a Bob-omb. When a barrel is hit with a regular ball the first time, it will appear chipped.

Dr. Mario World

A barrel in Dr. Mario World

Barrels in Dr. Mario World appear as stage objects, starting from World 11. A barrel takes up to two hits to be destroyed such as making a capsule match next to it, which can be indicated by how it looks like: one that is intact takes two hits to destroy, while one that reveals the contents inside it will require only one hit. Some barrels may not contain anything. The objects within the barrel will not react to anything else such as capsules until it is completely destroyed. Dr. Lemmy's skill involves barrels where in stage mode it can destroy not only the barrels themselves but the contents within it, while in versus mode it involves encasing a number of viruses on the opponent's field in barrels.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Barrels in The Super Mario Bros. Movie appear in the scene where Mario and Donkey Kong duel in the Great Ring of Kong, serving as a reference to the game Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong also holds one in his character posterMedia:TSMBM poster DK.jpg.

In Princess Peach: Showtime!

Princess Peach: Showtime!

Barrels in Princess Peach: Showtime! are objects appearing only in the Cowgirl Peach stages, where Peach can lasso them up and toss them at enemies and objects. She can also free Theets trapped inside barrels.

Skylanders series

Turbo Charge Donkey Kong holding a Barrel

Though barrels have generally been featured throughout the Skylanders series as destructible objects to gain treasure from, the Nintendo versions of Skylanders: SuperChargers and Skylanders: Imaginators feature Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and his dark variant using a plethora of different barrels from the Donkey Kong Country series as their primary weapons of choice. Before upgrading, it is a generic tan wooden barrel with silver metal hoops. Purchasing the Bongo Barrel upgrade will allow Donkey Kong to utilize a barrel as a bongo drum that causes harming shockwaves to enemies, while purchasing the Barrels of Fun upgrade will allow him to use Barrel Cannons to practically teleport around the arena. After purchasing the Super Donkey Kong upgrade, Donkey Kong uses two halves of a barrel on both hands as boxing gloves, while also being able to perform a barrel roll in a giant barrel. After purchasing the first upgrade on the Pointy Preparations path, Spikey Barrels, the aforementioned barrels used (aside from the Barrels of Fun) will turn into Spiked Barrels. However, when purchasing upgrades from the Powder Keg Power path, the barrels thrown and used as bongos turn into TNT Barrels.

The Barrel Blaster and Dark Barrel Blaster in Skylanders: SuperChargers.

Along with his regular attacks, Donkey Kong's signature vehicle is the Barrel Blaster, a Tech elemental vehicle made from gears and large barrels. While two red barrels act as the wheels, two orange, yellow, and white halves of a barrel act as the chassis, with the back part having red DK initials. It also possesses a little Barrel Cannon sidecar that's used for attacking vehicle-bound enemies, which when the vehicle is supercharged by either version of Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong sits in the sidecar alongside him. The ammunition used for the Barrel Blaster, when not using Villain Traps, are also barrels. One attack simply fires barrels, while another attack uses a circular shield of spiked barrels. Like its owner, it also possesses a dark variant called the Dark Barrel Blaster, with most previous colors used being changed to black and dark blue.

Unused appearances

Wario Land: Shake It!

Barrels were intended to appear in Wario Land: Shake It!, but went unused.

Types of barrels

Many games of the Super Mario franchise feature a handful of variations derived from generic barrels. Each fulfills a unique function that may or may not help the heroes. In the Donkey Kong Country series, DK Barrels, Blast Barrels, and Barrel Cannons are encountered more often than regular barrels. The different barrels in the Super Mario franchise are listed in a table below.

Barrel	First appearance	Description
Animal Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	A barrel containing an Animal Friend. Jumping into one will transform the Kong into the animal shown on the barrel.
Backward Barrel	Donkey Kong Barrel Blast	A barrel that can be placed as an obstacle for the other racers.
Banana Barrels	Mario Kart Tour	Diddy Kong and Funky Kong's special item; they function as cannons that spread banana peels on the track.
Barrel Bomb	Mario Kart Tour	A barrel with Bowser's emblem on it that explodes upon collision, which can be used to defeat Goombas around it.
Barrel Cannon	Donkey Kong Country	A barrel that will send the Kongs flying in the direction of the arrow with the press of a button.
Barrel Shield	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!	A rare type of barrel that moves up and down on one side of ropes. They are used to protect the Kongs from enemy attacks.
Barrel Train	Mario Kart: Double Dash!!	Diddy Kong's kart in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, a kart piece in Mario Kart 7 and a selectable kart in Mario Kart Tour.
Belcha	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!	A living barrel that acts as the boss of Lake Orangatanga.
Biplane Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	Funky Kong's vehicle the Kongs use to fly around Crocodile Isle.
Blast Barrel	Donkey Kong Country	A barrel that will launch the Kongs in a set direction automatically.
Bomb barrel	Princess Peach: Showtime!	Explodes on impact if Cowgirl Peach throws her lasso at it and damages her, ending the Cowgirl Rehearsal run early
Bonus Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	A special barrel that will send the Kongs into a Bonus Area to play a minigame.
Boo Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!	Rare barrels that act like Barrel Cannons, but repeatedly appear and disappear.
Booster Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!	A barrel that will launch into the air before firing out the Kongs when they enter it.
Button Barrel	Donkey Kong Land	Blast Barrels that can have their direction changed by pressing a nearby button.
Check and X Barrels	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	Barrels that act as switches in certain levels. The Check Barrel helps the Kongs whereas the X Barrel will hinder them.
Cranky's Kong Barrel	Donkey Kong 64	Special barrels that give a power-up unique to the pictured Kong when entered.
Dance Barrel	Donkey Kong Country (GBA port)	A special barrel that shows up in Candy's Dance Studio. When entered, it will take the Kongs to Candy's dancing minigame.
Diddy & Dixie Barrels	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	Barrels that only allow the specified Kong to use it. If the other Kong tries to use it, they will pass right through it.
DK Barrel	Donkey Kong Country	Common barrels that give out the Kong with their initials printed on the barrel. As of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo Switch), there are five different types of DK Barrels, one for each Kong.
Dumb Drum	Donkey Kong Country	An animated black drum that acts as the boss of Kremkroc Industries, Inc.
Fishing Barrel	Donkey Kong Country (GBA port)	A special barrel that will let the Kongs play Funky's Fishing if the barrel is entered in Funky's Flights.
Fuel Drum	Donkey Kong Country	Rare barrels that are meant to power certain level-specific events.
Golden Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	Special barrels that will allow the Kongs to reach the Lost World if they are entered in Klubba's Kiosk.
Ignition Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!	A single barrel that helps the Kongs finish the Rocket Rush level.
Invincibility Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	Rare barrels that make the Kongs invincible and able to defeat enemies by touching them.
Iron Barrel	Donkey Kong Country	Heavy steel kegs that can be used as a thrown unbreakable projectile.
Jumbo Barrel	Donkey Kong Country	Funky Kong's airplane that the Kongs can use to get around Donkey Kong Island.
Krockhead Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	Barrels that will summon several Krockheads when touched, which can help the Kongs get across gaps.
Mega TNT Barrel	Donkey Kong Barrel Blast	A large TNT Barrel that can cause racers to have their controls reversed and be unable to use items and Wild Moves.
Merfle Barrel	Wario Land: Shake It!	A cage the Shake King uses to trap the Merfles.
Oil barrel	DK: Jungle Climber	Barrels that act as fuel for Funky Kong's airplane.
Oil drum	Donkey Kong	A flaming oil barrel that acts as an obstacle.
On & Off Barrel	Donkey Kong Country	Barrels that determine whether a level's lights are on or off.
Plus and Minus Barrels	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	Barrels that add or decrease the amount of time remaining in the level Haunted Hall.
Question Barrel	DK: King of Swing	Special barrels that will reveal new pegs to use when touched.
Rocket Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!	Uncommon fragile barrels that the Kongs can ride in/on to progress through levels.
Shortfuse	Wario Land: Shake It!	A barrel-shaped enemy that shoots spiked balls at Wario.
Shrinkbarrel	Wario Land: Shake It!	A barrel that can transform Wario into Mini Wario and vice versa.
Slot Machine Barrel	Donkey Kong Country Returns	Barrels that act as the level goals, with rewards in them that are determined by when the Kongs jump at it.
Spiked Barrel	Mario vs. Donkey Kong	Barrels with spiked rims that hurt Mario on contact regardless of whether it was blocked with a handstand or not.
Spinner Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	Barrel Cannons that can be manually rotated before firing.
Star Barrel	Donkey Kong Country	Barrels that act as level checkpoints, which will be activated when the Kongs jump at one.
Steerable Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	Barrel Cannons only found in Fiery Furnace that can be moved manually for a set period of time.
Stop & Go Barrel	Donkey Kong Country	Barrels in the Stop & Go Station level that determines when the Rock Kroc enemies can move.
Style Barrel	Donkey Kong Barrel Blast	Special barrels that allow the racers to play a short game in order to win Bananas.
Switch Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!	Rare barrels that will change other barrels into a different type of barrel when touched.
Tag Barrel	Donkey Kong 64	Common barrels that can be used to switch between the Kongs.
TNT Barrel	Donkey Kong Country	Explosive barrels that can be used to find secret passages or defeat enemies.
Tracker Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!	Special barrels that launch the Kongs into the air and then follow them laterally as they move back down.
Training Barrel	Donkey Kong 64	A type of barrel with Cranky Kong's face on it that will send Donkey Kong to a Training Area.
Trigger Barrel	Donkey Kong Country (television series)	A type of barrel use to activate traps outside of Cranky's Cabin.
Vine Barrel	Donkey Kong Country	Fragile barrels that break on contact with anything once thrown.
Warp Barrel	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	Rare and hidden barrels that will send the Kongs to the level's end goal.
Yoo Who Cannon	Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story	A Bros. Attack that fires several Marios and Luigis at their enemies.

Profiles and statistics

Donkey Kong Country

• Manual: These common barrels make a great projectile weapon against enemies.

Wario Land 3

• Nintendo.com: Tote those barrels and heave 'em through the hard pink blocks.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Trophy Barrel
	Game/move: Super Smash Bros. 04/99
	How to unlock: Randomly obtainable in one of the single-player modes or the Lottery
	Like Crates, Barrels are often filled with items and occasionally explosive. Thrown Barrels may break on contact or go rolling along the ground to smash into characters. Like the Crate, the Barrel is heavy, so it will restrict the speed at which the character carrying it can move. This speed differs between characters.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Trophy Barrels
	Appears in: N64 Super Smash Bros. Wii Super Smash Bros. Brawl
	How to unlock: Random
	Item holders similar to crates--their appearance will also change to fit the area. When you throw a barrel, it won't shatter, but rather roll across the stage. When a rolling barrel hits a character, that character gets sent sailing. Barrels are heavy, so you'll need two hands to pick them up, and your foot speed will decrease too

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Trophy Barrels

3DS: Wii U:

Game(s): Both

Category: Item

() Appears in: N64 Super Smash Bros. (04/1999) Wii U Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

() Trophy Box: 4: Items and Rewards

How to unlock: 3DS: Random Wii U: Exclusively obtained in Trophy Rush

These barrels are crammed full of items, but they're also incredibly tough to break. No baby hits here—attacking too lightly will just send the barrel rolling away, making it a dangerous obstacle for both you and your foes. And if others break the barrel, they'll get the items you wanted! (American English)

Barrels have all sorts of items inside, but they're tough! Hitting them lightly or throwing them might not be enough to get these things open. In fact, you might just end up sending them rolling, and just so you know, rolling barrels are a force to be reckoned with! They can send you flying off the stage! (British English)

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

• Item description: "Sometimes dropped by Broozers. Provides a barrel that can be hurled at a single foe."
• Sticker Museum description: "A wooden barrel thrown by a Broozer. This thing is heavy, so be careful when tossing it."

Gallery

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

• 

  The original Donkey Kong prepares to throw a barrel. Artwork for Donkey Kong on the Game Boy

• 

  Dixie Kong heaves a barrel with her ponytail. Artwork for Donkey Kong Country 2

• 

  Diddy Kong wearing barrel bongo jets. Artwork for Donkey Kong Barrel Blast

• 

  Artwork of a barrel from Mario Kart Arcade GP DX

• 

  Donkey Kong holding two barrels in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	樽[?] Taru	Barrel
	タル Taru
	普通ふつうのタル[?] Futsū no Taru	Normal Barrel
Chinese	桶[?] Tǒng	Barrel
	木桶[?] Mùtǒng	Wooden Barrel	WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
French	Tonneau	Barrel
	Baril
German	Fass[?]	Barrel
Italian	Barile	Barrel
	Barile comune	Common barrel
	Barile di legno	Wooden barrel
Korean	원통[?] Wontong	Cylinder
	나무통[?] Namutong	Wooden barrel	Mario Kart Tour
Portuguese	Barril[?]	Barrel
Russian	Бочка[?] Bochka	Barrel
Spanish	Barril[?]	Barrel
	Gran Barril (Mario vs. Donkey Kong, level BOSS)	Grand Barrel