Fireball (Donkey Kong)
- This article is about the Donkey Kong enemy. For the similar fireball enemy from 100m, see Fire (100m).
| Fireball | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 A Fireball from Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis | |||
| First appearance | Donkey Kong (1981) | ||
| Latest appearance | Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) (2024) | ||
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Fireballs[1] (alternatively written in lowercase[2][3]), also described as firefoxes,[4] fire thingies,[5] and fire guys,[6] are enemies that first appeared in Donkey Kong. They are living embodiments of fire comparable to Lava Bubbles from Super Mario Bros.
History
Donkey Kong series
Donkey Kong
Fireballs make their first appearance in the original Donkey Kong as enemies. In levels 25 m and 50 m, Fireballs emerge from the oil drums and then chase after Mario, although they have short attention spans. In the former level, they only emerge when the oil drum is hit by a blue barrel. If Mario is touched by a Fireball, he loses a life and is forced to restart the level. Fireballs can climb ladders, no matter if they are broken or fixed, but cannot reverse directions during the climb. They cannot fall from ledges or cross gaps. Eventually, they migrate to the top of the level. If Mario jumps over a Fireball, he receives points, but the only way to destroy them is with a hammer. Picking up a hammer causes the Fireballs to turn blue. In 25m and 50m, there can be a maximum of five Fireballs simultaneously onscreen. In 75 m, two Fireballs patrol a set of platforms.
In the Game Boy version, Fireballs appear in the Start, which is a recreation of the arcade original, as well as in Stage 1-3, Stage 5-6, and Stage 5-8.
Fireballs retain their role of enemies in Donkey Kong 64's built-in port of the Donkey Kong arcade game.
Donkey Kong Circus
In their second appearance, Donkey Kong has to dodge fireballs while trying to juggle pineapples in Donkey Kong Circus for the Game & Watch.
Super Mario Bros. Special
Fireballs make a third appearance in Super Mario Bros. Special, where they are credited as Sigebou. These enemies can fall off the edges of platforms. They are found only in Worlds 7-4 and 8-2 and are indestructible.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong series
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Fireballs appear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong, where they are often seen monitoring a set area. However, they are considerably scarce during the course of the game. They will instantly burn Mario on contact, thus causing him to lose a life. Much to the plumber's advantage, they can be crushed with hammers usually found nearby.
The remake depicts them with an updated design that gives them a closer connection to the Lava Bubbles that also return. The remake also introduces a blue, icy variant, found exclusively in the new ice-themed Slippery Summit and Slippery Summit Plus worlds. They have an identical purpose and function to Fireballs, but instead of burning, they freeze Mario and Mini-Mario on contact, which causes them to lose a life.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
Fireballs reappear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis during the final battle against Donkey Kong on the Roof, as well as in B1 and B2 in DK's Hideout. On the Roof, Fireballs spawn from an oil can if a barrel falls into it, while in B1, Fireballs spawn from oil cans periodically without the use of barrels. However, in B2, two Fireballs spawn at the beginning of the level without being produced from an oil can. Similarly to their appearance in Donkey Kong, Fireballs move along girders and ladders and pursue Mini Marios. A Mini Mario is burned and destroyed if it touches a Fireball without being protected by a water drop. Unlike previous appearances, Fireballs can reverse their direction while climbing ladders. Fireballs can be defeated by any Mini using Hammers.
Fireballs also appear in the Construction Zone, where they can be used in the Lava Dome construction kit and Special Kit 3.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!
Fireballs are also enemies in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!, where they first appear in Area 5-2. They closely resemble their arcade counterparts and walk at a moderate pace along the ground, although they will start treading faster once the Minis take hold of hammers.
Super Smash Bros. series
Fireballs also appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the 75 m stage. On that stage, Fireballs can damage the fighters by touching them. Each hit does 10% damage and moderate knockback.
Donkey Kong Country Returns / Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
Fireballs make cameo appearances in Donkey Kong Country Returns and its Nintendo 3DS version. In a level called Shifty Smashers, some crushing blocks feature renders of Donkey Kong leaping over a Fireball enemy. The imprints are imitations of the characters' original sprites from the Donkey Kong arcade classic.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Fireballs are referenced in the Donkey Kong Adventure DLC of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle in the description of Rabbid Cranky's Barrel Bolt weapon Oil Drum (based on the Donkey Kong object), which states that the weapon does not turn enemies into blue flames with eyes that chase the player.
Mario Kart series
In Mario Kart Tour, a Fireball makes a cameo in the New York Minute courses on the Times Square jumbotron displaying gameplay of 25m from the game. The jumbotron reappears in Tour New York Minute in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass.
Other appearances
In the NES Remix series, Fireballs appear in Donkey Kong-related challenges in NES Remix, NES Remix Pack, and Ultimate NES Remix.
Profiles and statistics
Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong (Game Boy)
Gallery
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Fireball (Donkey Kong).
Super Mario Bros. Special (NEC PC-8801)
Donkey Kong (Game Boy)
Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch, blue variant)
Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch, blue variant)
Additional names
Internal names
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis | data/data/anims/fireball_anim.bin | fireball | - |
| Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) | Model/FireBall_Shared.bfres.zs | FireBall | Fire Ball |
| Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) | FireBallBlue.bfres.zs | FireBallBlue | Blue Fire Ball; applied to Slippery Summit variant |
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | おじゃまむし[7] Ojama mushi |
Trouble bug[10][11] | |
| ドラムカンファイア[8] Doramu Kan Faia |
Drum Can Fire | ||
| 火の玉[9] Hi no Tama |
Fireball | ||
| French | Insectes à problèmes[12] | Problem insects | |
| Boule de feu[13] | Fireball | ||
| German | Feuerball[?] | Fireball | |
| Italian | Volpe di fuoco[14] | Firefox | |
| Palla di fuoco[15][16] | Fireball | ||
| Insetto rognoso[17] | Troublesome insect | ||
| Fiammella[18] | Little flame | ||
| Korean | 방해꾼 벌레[?] Banghaekkun bul-lae |
Disrupter Bug | |
| Spanish | El brasas[19] | The embers |
References
- ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! Help Mode
- ^ Instruction manuals for the Coleco tabletop, Commodore 64 (Atarisoft), TI-99/4A, MS-DOS, Apple II, and Coleco Adam ports.[page number needed]
- ^ Instruction manual for Donkey Kong Circus[page number needed]
- ^ Instruction manual for the Commodore VIC-20 port[page number needed]
- ^ "Ooh, this part looks like trouble! There's way more oil drums, some fire thingies, and two hammers." – Play Nintendo (April 13, 2024). "Let’s Play Mario vs. Donkey Kong 😲🎮 Gameplay For Kids | @playnintendo" (5:51). YouTube. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ "Let's hammer through those fire guys!" – Play Nintendo (April 13, 2024). "Let’s Play Mario vs. Donkey Kong 😲🎮 Gameplay For Kids | @playnintendo" (6:09]). YouTube. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ March 4, 2008. 75m. スマブラ拳!! (Japanese). Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedDaijiten - ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong Shogakukan book[page number needed]
- ^ March 4, 2008. 75m. Smash Bros. DOJO!! (American English). Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ March 4, 2008. 75m. Smash Bros. DOJO!! (British English). Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ March 4, 2008. 75m. Smash Bros. DOJO!!. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! Help Mode & Construction Zone
- ^ Donkey Kong Atari manual. Page 2.
- ^ NES Classic Donkey Kong European manual. Page 80.
- ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!, in-game help guide
- ^ March 4, 2008. 75m. Smash Bros. DOJO!! (Italian). Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Arcade Archives Donkey Kong, in-game manual
- ^ March 4, 2008. 75m. Smash Bros. DOJO!! (European Spanish). Retrieved June 2, 2024.
| Donkey Kong | |
|---|---|
| Characters | Donkey Kong • Mario • Pauline |
| Levels | 25m • 50m • 75m • 100m |
| Items and objects | Bolt • Conveyor Belt • Hammer • Ladder • Lift • Parasol, Hat & Bag |
| Enemies and obstacles | Barrel • Cement tub • Fire • Fireball • Jack • Oil drum |
| Other | 25m Theme • Gallery • Media • Opening • Staff |
| Super Mario Bros. Special | |
|---|---|
| Protagonists | Mario • Mushroom retainer • Princess Peach |
| Worlds | World 1 • World 2 • World 3 • World 4 • World 5 • World 6 • World 7 • World 8 |
| Items | 1 up Mushroom • Clock • Coin • Fire Flower • Hachisuke • Hummer • Lucky Star • Magic Mushroom • Starman • Wing |
| Enemies | Bloober • Bullet Bill • Buzzy Beetle • Cheep-cheep • Chokichoki • Fire-Bar • Hammer Brother • Koopa Paratroopa • Koopa Troopa • Lakitu • Little Goomba • Nakaji • Piranha Plant • Podoboo • Sigebou • Spiny • Spiny's egg • Tarusar • Tsurara • Turtle Cannon |
| Boss | Bowser |
| Miscellaneous | Ax • Beanstalk • Coin Heaven • Coral • Fireworks • Flagpole • Horsehair plant • Jumping board |
