Fire Bar
| Fire Bar | |||
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 Artwork of a Fire Bar from Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. (1985) | ||
| Latest appearance | Mario Golf: Super Rush (2021) | ||
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Fire Bars (also parsed as Fire-Bars,[1][2][3] fire bars, or firebars[4]) are rotating bars made of fireballs first appearing in Super Mario Bros. Fire Bars were originally created as obstacles for the The Legend of Zelda series, but they ended up being used for the Mario franchise first.[4][5][6][7] They are found in numerous titles and generally act as obstacles in castles and fortresses.
Fire Bars were also given notable appearances in certain castles of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, which depicted them as swinging three-dimensionally. A three-dimensional Fire Bar depicted with eyes also appeared in the courses Waluigi Stadium and Bowser's Castle in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros.
Fire-Bars make their debut in Super Mario Bros. They are not a living enemy and function more as an obstacle as they rotate around a block in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. They often appear on the ceiling and floors of castles. In World 8-4, Fire-Bars only appear in an underwater section while there are none in the main castle section. They sometimes appear near ? Blocks to make it more difficult for Mario or Luigi to hit them. The first level in which they appear is World 1-4. If Mario or Luigi makes contact with one, he will take damage from the fire. In later games, they are replaced with similar-acting obstacles, such as Roto-Discs and Spinners. The first Fire-Bar in World 5-4 is composed of 12 fireballs, as opposed to the normal six fireball length. If the player beats the game and restarts on Hard Mode, Fire-Bars will appear in all possible locations in castles.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Fire-Bars also appear in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, working as they do in Super Mario Bros.. Unlike in that game, longer Fire-Bars, composed of 12 fireballs, are more common.
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
In Super Mario 64, Fire-Bars appear for the first time in full 3D. In this game and Super Mario 64 DS, they appear only in Lethal Lava Land. Unlike Fire-Bars' 2D appearances, here they spin horizontally. Also different from their 2D appearances, there can be more than one Fire-Bar rotating on the same axis.
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
While they do not appear in the main game, Fire-Bars do appear in certain World-e levels in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, more specifically in Swinging Bars of Doom, An Aqueous Adventure and Classic World 1-4. They exist in two variations: either with one Fire-Bar around the axis, or with two Fire-Bars, both variations being of various lengths. In An Aqueous Adventure, where most of them are found underwater, there is even one with two pairs of Fire-Bars rotating in opposite directions.
New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., Fire Bars first appear in World 6-4. They also appear in the second tower of World 8, and a lone one appears in Bowser's Castle. Here they act just like they do in Super Mario Bros., but are found more commonly more on the ceiling and floors.
Super Mario Galaxy
In Super Mario Galaxy, they appear as obstacles in a number of different galaxies, including the Sling Pod Galaxy, the Toy Time Galaxy, Bowser's Star Reactor, and Bowser's Galaxy Reactor. They function the same way as in Super Mario 64.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Fire Bars only appear in World 8-
Tower World 8-Tower, World 8-
Bowser's Castle World 8-Castle and World 
Coin-1, and are often used to guard Star Coins. A double Fire Bar also appears in the tower. In the castle, they are mainly seen in the first room, and only two are seen in the second room.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
In Super Mario Galaxy 2, the Fire Bars' function is the same as in Super Mario Galaxy. They mainly appear in Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla, Bowser's Gravity Gauntlet, the Slipsand Galaxy, and Bowser's Galaxy Generator. It is also of note that rotating Fire Bars are used during the boss battle with Bowser Jr.'s Boomsday Machine in his Boom Bunker, where they are integrated directly into the Boomsday Machine.
Super Mario 3D Land
Fire Bars reappear in Super Mario 3D Land. Here, they appear in most castles and World 8-6. As with all 3D installments of the Super Mario series, Fire Bars spin horizontally. They cannot be defeated. The game introduces Spike Bars, which have spiked balls in place of fireballs.
New Super Mario Bros. 2
Fire Bars appear again in New Super Mario Bros. 2. They have the same pattern from both predecessors and may also sometimes hide Star Coins. Fire Bars only seem to be one fireball longer than past games. They mostly appear in castle levels and some World 6 levels.
New Super Mario Bros. U
Fire Bars reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U, where they appear in Screwtop Tower and Slide Lift Tower. Huge Fire Bars also debut in this game, first appearing in Slide Lift Tower. Huge Fire Bars also have a whole level based around them in Superstar Road called Fire Bar Cliffs, which is home to many Huge Fire Bars.
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Fire Bars appear in Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. This time, some of them rotate around Brick Blocks and ? Blocks. Spike Bars also return with a new appearance.
Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS / Super Mario Maker 2
Fire Bars reappear as a course element in Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2. Their length and direction can be adjusted. The center block has a new sprite in the Super Mario Bros. theme, and new sprites were made for the Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World styles. In Super Mario Maker 2, they are absent from the Super Mario 3D World style, despite appearing in the source game.
Super Mario Run
Fire Bars reappear in Super Mario Run, as obstacles in the levels Fire Bar Castle! Youch! and Bowser's Bob-ombing Run. In Fire Bar Castle! Youch!, a Fire Bar appears during the battle with the fake Bowser.
Super Princess Peach
In Super Princess Peach, Fire Bars make their first appearances in Bowser's Villa as obstacles, damaging Peach when she comes into contact. Within the area, they sometimes appear in sections requiring Subrella in a similar manner of how they appeared in an underwater section of World 8-4 in Super Mario Bros. Fire Bars also appear in unlock-able levels Ladida Plains 1-9 and Hoo's Wood 2-9; in the former, only one appears in the Subrella section while in the latter, there are ten Fire Bars in total: five in the starting section and five in the Subrella section. When Peach is near a Fire Bar, it emits a swinging sound effect.
Fire Bars also appear in the minigame Toad Tote.
The Legend of Zelda series
Fire bars[8], or Guruguru bars[7], appear in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes. As in the Mario franchise, they rotate continuously and are indestructible. However, some games play with this concept, such as switches that change the direction of the bar's rotation. While 2D titles depict the center as a block, 3D titles redesign the center.
Yoshi's Island series
Fire-Bars appear in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and its remake Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3. They appear in certain forts and castles. They are depicted as swinging three-dimensionally. Traditional Fire Bars appear in Yoshi's Island DS.
Mario Kart series
Fire Bars make several appearances in the Mario Kart series. They make their first appearance in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, where they appear on the Waluigi Stadium, Wario Colosseum and Bowser's Castle courses.
Fire Bars later return in Mario Kart DS, in the Wario Stadium course. Here the Fire Bars have three bars coming off of an eyed central cog.
Fire Bars reappear once again in Mario Kart Wii, in the Waluigi Stadium retro course and the game's Bowser's Castle, although in this instance, there are Lava Bubbles at the center. They are also called Podoboo Cogs,[9] keeping consistency with their appearance.
Fire Bars make reappearances in Mario Kart 8's Bowser's Castle course and in the DS Wario Stadium retro course. Here the Fire Bars have the same forms as in Mario Kart DS. Similar obstacles, rings of fireballs called Fire Chains, appear in a few of these titles as well.
In Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, they appear in Bowser's Castle as gate obstacles with their appearance from the Super Mario Maker games.
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario
In Paper Mario, the Fire Bars reappear in Koopa Bros. Fortress and Mt. Lavalava; this time they swing sideways. They also swing either clockwise or counter-clockwise. If Mario touches one, he loses some HP, but if Mario's partner touches one, nothing happens. Jumping over one of these Fire Bars causes it to swing faster. If Mario dodges one ten times, it will vanish and drop a number of coins. This is the first appearance in which Fire Bars can be destroyed.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, they reappear in Bowser's third platform level. Here, they can be defeated by Bowser's fire breath. If Bowser comes in contact with the fireballs, they can either decrease his size or defeat him (if he is tiny). They also appear in the Palace of Shadow and have the same behavior as they do in Paper Mario.
Super Paper Mario
Fire Bars reappear in Super Paper Mario. In the game, they act in a similar fashion as in Super Mario Bros. and appear in Chapter 1-4 and 8-2. Mario can flip into 3-D mode to avoid the Fire Bars.
Mario Party series
Mario Party 4
Fire Bars also appear in Mario Party 4 in The Final Battle! They take away a heart from the player when touched.
Mario Party: Island Tour
In Mario Party: Island Tour, Fire Bars appear in the minigame Great Bars of Fire. The players need to jump over or duck under them, and if a character hits a Fire Bar three times, they are out, and the last player standing wins.
Mario Party 10
Fire Bars reappear in Mario Party 10. They are found in the Bowser Minigame Bowser's Fire Bar Fury.
Mario Party: The Top 100
In Mario Party: The Top 100, Fire Bars reappear in the minigame The Final Battle! from Mario Party 4 in the same roles.
Wario: Master of Disguise
Fire Bars appear as obstacles inside Sweatmore Peak in Wario: Master of Disguise. They consist of several small fireballs which rotate around a larger fireball.
Mario & Sonic series
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
In the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, a pair of Fire Bars appear during the second segment of the Mario World routine in Dream Figure Skating, where the characters jump over them.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Fire Bars appear during the Bowser's Castle portion of Mario's Figure Skating Spectacular in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, where the characters jump over them at various stages during the routine.
Super Smash Bros. series
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Fire Bars appear as an item. Once picked up, characters can attack others by swinging them, similar to the Beam Sword, although it is fairly powerful. However, every two hits from a Fire Bar causes it to lose a fireball, including blocked hits, shortening it in range. The fireballs closer to the base, however, deal more damage. Fire Bars reappear as items in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Fire Bars appear in the Trio Whirligig minigame in the Arcade as obstacles. They are made up of two to seven bars, and touching one causes the minigame to end. Purple Fire Bars also appear in the mission "Bye-Bye, Boo."
Mario Golf: Super Rush
Fire Bars make their debut in the Mario Golf series in Mario Golf: Super Rush exclusive to the Bowser Highlands course. These Fire Bars are not connected to a block.
Other appearances
The Fire Bar make a cameo appearance in the Animal Crossing games as a furniture item.
In the Super Mario Mash-up in Minecraft, Blaze Rods are replaced by Fire Bars, though the Fire Bar is not connected to a block.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U Trophy
| Name | Image | Appears In (Wii U version only) |
NTSC-U Description | PAL Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Bar | 
|
NES Super Mario Bros. (10/1985) Wii U New Super Mario Bros. U (11/2012) |
A rotating row of fireballs found in the Mario series, most often as a fiery obstacle in Bowser's Castle. In this game, you can swing the fire bar at your enemies! It's a powerful weapon, but for every two times you swing and hit someone with it, one of the fireballs will burn out. And no fire means no fun. | A rotating row of fireballs found in the Mario series, most often as a fiery obstacle in Bowser's Castle. In this game, you can swing the fire bar at your enemies! It's a powerful weapon, but for every two times you connect when attacking with it, one of the fireballs will go out. And no fire means no fun. |
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ファイアバー Faia Bā ぐるぐるバー[10] Guru Guru Bā |
Fire Bar Spinning Bar (The Legend of Zelda series); alternate spelling shared with Spinning Spikes |
|
| Chinese | 火焰棒[?] Huǒyàn bàng |
Flame Club | |
| Dutch | Vuurbalk[?] | Fire beam | |
| German | Feuerstab[?] | Firestaff | |
| Italian | Barra di fuoco Barra infuocata[?] |
Fire Bar | |
| Korean | 파이어바[?] Faieoba |
Firebar | |
| Portuguese | Barreira de fogo[11] | Fire barrier | |
| Russian | Огненное препятствие[?] Ognennoye prepyatstviye |
Fire obstacle | |
| Spanish | Cadena de Fuego Barrera de Fuego[?] |
Fire Chain Fire Barrier |
References
- ^ Hiroo Tochikubo, How to Win at Super Mario Bros., Tokuma Shoten, 1987, ISBN 4-19-720003-XC. Page 15.
- ^ Tatsumi Yamashita, The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, Tokuma Shoten, 1987, ISBN 999832369X. Page 30.
- ^ M. Arakawa. Super Mario All-Stars Player's Guide. Pages 9 and 31.
- ^ a b Iwata Asks - Volume 2 : The History of Handheld The Legend of Zelda Games
- ^ Iwata Asks - New Super Mario Bros: Volume 2
- ^ The Men Who Made Zelda – Staff Interview GlitterBerri's Game Translations. May 28, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ a b Playing With Super Power: Nintendo Super NES Classics eGuide, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 16 Bits Tab. "The rotating Guruguru bars that appear in A Link to the Past originated in Super Mario Bros., where they’re called Fire Bars. However, they were originally intended for The Legend of Zelda; the developers felt they looked better in a Mario game and passed them between titles."
- ^ The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past TOP SECRETS - Messages from Sahasrahla, page 2. "The Moon Pearl is in the big chest on the fourth floor of the tower. To reach it, you need to jump into a hole on the fifth floor. The hole you need will appear when you step on the star tile near the fifth floor fire bar. Use the map to find the correct hole."
- ^ Hodgson, David S. J. Mario Kart Wii Premiere Edition. Pages 92 and 128.
- ^ Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce Shogakukan guide, Jou volume, page 134.
- ^ Nintendo Portugal. (December 2, 2019). Super Mario Maker 2 - A Master Sword, novas peças para níveis e muito mais! (Nintendo Switch). YouTube. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
External links
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