Mario's main ability that he has is his jumping prowess, which he can do very well. In Super Mario Bros, a few powerups were introduced that ended up becoming a mainstay in the series. These are the Super Mushroom, which allows Mario to be grow in size, the Fire Flower, which gives Mario the ability to shoot fireballs from his hands, and the Starman, which gives him temporary invincibility.
Costumes & Abilities
Starting with Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario was able to don some costumes that gave him extra abilities. With Super Mario 64, his moves went up a whole nother level, gaining the ability to do triple jumps, a ground pound and wall jump; these abilities have stuck with Mario in the games post-Mario 64. The following is a list of costumes and abilities, as well as when they were introduced:
- Super Mario Bros. 3 - Super Leaf (flight), Tanooki Suit (flight and turn into statue), Frog Suit (swim easily in water), Hammer Suit (throw hammers, shield self from fireballs), Shoe Mario (allows Mario to traverse spikes)
- Super Mario World - Cape Feather (flight)
- Super Mario Land 2 - Carrot (rabbit ears for flight)
- Super Mario 64 - Wing Cap (flight), Metal Cap (walk underwater, defeat enemies by walking into them), Vanish Cap (walk through certain walls and enemies)
- Super Mario Galaxy - Bee Mushroom (flight), Boo Mushroom (invisibility, float), Spring Mushroom (jump higher), Ice Flower (walk on water and lava without damage)
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Cloud Flower (create platforms in midair), Rock Mario (transform into boulder to break barriers)
- New Super Mario Bros Wii - Mega Mushroom (become giant sized), Propeller Mushroom (flight), Penguin Suit (similar to Frog Suit, with ability to shoot ice balls)
- Super Mario 3D Land - Boomerang Flower (throw boomerangs)
- New Super Mario Bros U - Super Acorn (glide and stick to walls)
