Pokio

Pokio
Artwork of a Pokio from Super Mario Odyssey.
First appearance	Super Mario Odyssey (2017)

“Huzzah! It's one of those animals with the stretchable beak! I have so wanted to see one up close!”

—Bonneter biologist, Super Mario Odyssey

Pokios are pheasant-like enemies found in Seaside Kingdom, Bowser's Kingdom, and Darker Side in Super Mario Odyssey. They wander around and poke Mario with their beaks when he approaches them. The beaks rebound off any wall. According to the Bonneter biologist, their beaks are normally short due to being in an extremely folded state, but shoot outwards when they are opened. To capture them, the player must first knock off the samurai helmet that they wear. Once captured, Mario can poke enemies and blocks with his beak. This can also be used to flick incoming cannonballs the opposite direction, which can break destructible blocks. The beak can be held out, which can be combined with a quick spin or flicking the controller to perform a spin attack. (Doing so without the beak held out only cosmetically spins the Pokio around.)

If Mario pokes at a wall, he can cling onto it and fling himself any desired direction; this is useful for climbing up walls. However, rocky and metallic walls, including Moon Rocks, repel the attack. (Blocks can be clung to, but metal behind them is still capable of repelling the beak.) If the spin is used while poking a wall, the Pokio will jump about the height of a Backwards Somersault. Some Power Moons are unlocked by poking a Pokio's beak in holes.

These two skills are necessary in the first boss fight against RoboBrood, as Mario (under Pokio form) must flick bombs at the RoboBrood's legs, topple it, and then climb on top of it with his beak to poke the Broodals in their domes or ground-pounding them as Mario.

The Pokio's name is a play on the words "poke" and Pinocchio, a character whose nose grows whenever he lies. Their design is based on the Japanese green pheasant, though the red-crowned crane was considered. The Prima guide mistakenly classifies them as woodpeckers.

Gallery

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  Artwork of a Pokio without a hat

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  Artwork of a captured Pokio

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  Concept art of a Pokio

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  Model of a Pokio

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ツックン[?] Tsukkun	Contration of「突く」(tsuku, "to stab") and the honorific「~くん」(-kun)
Chinese (simplified)	啄啄儿[?] Zhuó zhuó er	From a partial repetition of「啄木鸟」(zhuómùniǎo, "woodpecker")
Chinese (traditional)	拮拮[?] Jié jié	From the Japanese name
Dutch	Pokio[?]	-
French	Pikonio[?]	From piquer ("to prick") and rearrangement of "Pinocchio"
German	Piekmatz[?]	From pieken ("to sting") and piepmatz ("birdie")
Italian	Picchiolo[?]	Diminutive form of picchio ("woodpecker")
Korean	찌르군[?] Jjireugun	From "찌르다" (jjireuda, "to poke") and "~군" (-gun, an honorific for "young boy"), similar to「~くん」(-kun) in Japanese; shared with Jabit
Russian	Тыклик[?] Tyklik	Diminutive of тыкать (tykat, "to poke")
Spanish	Picarito[?]	From pico ("beak") and pajarito ("birdie")