Fire (element)
- “Nofire, please. I don't want to be fried.”
- —King Calamari,Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch)
Fire is an element given to various attacks, items, and enemies in RPGs. It usually is strong against enemies associated with theIce element and can inflict theBurn status effect in some games.
History[edit]
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[edit]

InSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars andits remake, fire is one of the four elements assigned to Special attacks, alongsideJump,Ice, andLightning.Fire Bomb andMario'sFireball,Super Fireball andUltra Fireball are designated with the fire element. Attacking enemies or bosses weak to fire will deal twice the damage; conversely, attacking enemies and bosses who are resistant to it will have no effect and inflict 0 damage instead.
Some enemy attacks are also affiliated with the fire element (Corona/Flare,Drain/Hot Shot,Flame,Flame Stone,Flame Wall, andMega Drain/Fire Saber), and can be negated with theLazy Shell orSuper Suit. In the remake, using Mallow'sThought Peek will reveal the targeted enemy's weaknesses, including fire. TheClown Car BarrageTriple Move deals additional damage to enemies that are weak to either fire, ice, or lightning, ignoring any resistance that they could also possess to these elements.
Enemies who are only affected by fire in the original are indicated initalic, while enemies who are only affected by fire in the remake are indicated inbold.
Weak against fire: |
Resistant to fire: |
Paper Mario series[edit]
Paper Mario[edit]

InPaper Mario, fire is an element given to theFire Flower item andKooper'sFire Shell. Some enemies are weak to fire, meaning that they will receive flat additional damage on top of the attack, or immune, which will negate the attack entirely and inflict 0 damage instead. Other enemies, likeBob-ombs, will be instantaneously defeated if attacked with the fire element.
Some enemies are associated with the fire element, visually represented by them being engulfed with flames. Attacking these enemies with Mario's Jump attacks or partner attacks that make direct contact with the enemy (minus Kooper's attacks andParakarry'sShell Shot) will be negated, and the attacker will receive 1 damage instead. These enemies are weak againstice andwater attacks, and in some cases (Lava Piranha and itsLava Buds' second phase) will momentarily be extinguished by them and lose their fire element. They also includePyro Guys,Lava Bubbles,Petit Piranhas, andEmbers.
TheIce Powerbadge increases Mario's attacks by 2 against fire enemies, while theFire Shield badge reduces damage received from fire-based attacks by 1. In addition, both badges allow Mario to ignore an enemy's fire defense and jump on them normally, including from a jump-basedFirst Strike.
Weak against fire:
| Immune to fire: |
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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]
The way fire is handled is changed inPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and itsremake in several ways. TheFire Shield badge has been removed, with its effect being fused with theIce Power badge instead, which now gives Mario a +1 bonus in both attack and defense against fire-based enemies, namelyEmbers,Lava Bubbles, andPhantom Embers, on top of the fireproof Jump attacks. These specific enemies are now healed by the amount of damage they were supposed to receive from a fire attack instead of being immune to them.Buzzy Beetles and their variants are now immune to fire in all circumstances, even after being flipped. In the remake, attacking enemies that are immune to fire with this element displays a special icon denoting their immunity. Invincible enemies, such asThe Iron Adonis Twins,Grodus with ashield, or theShadow Queen at the start of her second phase, are also redundantly immune to fire.
Attacks with the fire element in this game include theFire Flower item,Vivian'sFiery Jinx, and Mario'sFire Drive if the associated badge is equipped. The game also introduces theburn status effect: any attack with the fire element can inflict the burn status to its target, which will inflict 1piercing fire damage to them at the end of each turn for a set number of turns; if the target isfrozen, the two statuses will immediately cancel each other and return the target to its normal state. This also includes Vivian'sShade Fist, which is not a fire attack, but specifically a normal attack which inflicts burn on the target. The stage nozzle hazard can deal 1 piercing fire damage to one side of thestage as one of its random effect if they are knocked down.
Bulky Bob-ombs andBob-ulks hit with any fire attack or burn status effect will immediately detonate, dealingexplosion damage to all characters on the stage, enemies and allies alike.Dry Bones and theirRed Bones andDark Bones variants will be permanently removed from the fight if they are defeated with a fire attack, or if their corpse receives fire damage before they resurrect. Non-fire enemies with fire attacks includeFire Bro andGrodus, though the former is still weak to the ice element. Other enemies such asHooktail,Bowser, and Vivian as a member of theThree Shadows, have attacks that are cosmetically fire-related, but cannot inflict the burn status.
Weak against fire:
Heal with fire: | Immune to fire: |
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Super Paper Mario[edit]
Certain enemies inSuper Paper Mario possess a higher defense against specifically fire attacks, in this game theFire Burst item andBowser'sFire Breath.
Like in the previous game, fire can be used to permanently defeatDry Bones,Dull Bones, andDark Dull Bones. In addition, severalTattle descriptions will suggest fire as a way to circumvent an enemy's protection. Fire is also used in the puzzle to get theFire Tablet.
Strong against fire:
| Immune to fire: |
Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]
InPaper Mario: The Origami King, attacks with the fire element will deal 50% bonus damage againstice-themed andplant-themedFolded Soldiers. Conversely, attacking a fire-themed enemy with a fire attack will only deal them half of the normal damage. In addition,Buzzy Beetles are immune to the fire element.
Fire attacks include theFire Hammer and theFire Flower and itsShiny variant, which target a nearby 2x2 zone and a straight line respectively, as well asBowser'sFire Breath when he is available as apartner. TheFire Vellumental does not deal fire damage and is not weak against ice attacks.
Weak to fire: | Strong against fire: | Immune to fire: |
Mario & Luigi series[edit]
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga[edit]
- See also:Firebrand
InMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, fire is one of the game's main elements, here calledFirebrand, alongside thelightning element, here calledThunderhand. It is theHand Power associated with Mario, which allows him to perform aDash in the overworld and theFire Bros.Bros. Attack as well as itsAdvanced version in battle.
Some enemies can be weak to fire, which deals more damage to them as a Critical hit, or be immune to it and absorb the attacks to heal themselves. Others can be resistant to Hand Powers, turning any fire attack into a flat 1 damage. This is independent from the Critical and Heal effects and can be added to them, effectively dealing 2 damage and healing 1 HP respectively. This is changed inMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, which only reduces the attacks' power instead, is not cumulative with other effectivenesses, and is applied to each element separately rather than both.
Enemies hit with a fire attack can receive theburn status effect. Only enemies can be affected by it. InMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, theAdvanced version ofFire Bros. can inflict "char" on the enemies, a more harmful status previously introduced inMario & Luigi: Dream Team, instead.
TheMinion Quest: The Search for Bowser campaign does not have a universal fire element attached to all its fire attacks and characters. However,Fuzzbushes andPokeys are described as "flammable" and are weak toFire Bros. andFire Stalking Piranha Plants specifically, while Fire Bros. are themselves weak toIce Bros.
Enemies who are only affected by fire in the original are indicated initalic, while enemies who are only affected by fire in the remake are indicated inbold. Some enemies have differences in the Japanese and international releases of the original game, denoted here by[J] and[I] respectively. Additionally, several bosses, namelyBowser,Dragohoho, andRookie, have fire healing but cannot be fought before Mario acquires Firebrand.
Weak against fire:
Strong against fire:
Heal with fire:
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time[edit]
Mario does not have access toFirebrand anymore inMario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Instead, the fire element is given to theBro Flower andMix FlowerBros. Items, that any of the brothers can initiate, whilethunder is replaced byice as the game's second elemental power. Similarly to Firebrand, it will deal Critical damage to some enemies, while others are resistant to it and will receive 1 flat damage from the entire attack instead. Enemies can once again beburned by these attacks, but this time the Bros. themselves can also be inflicted with this status effect from a few enemies. Unlike the previous game, no enemies are healed from receiving a specific elemental attack.
Bob-ombs hit with the fire element will immediately lit up and counterattack with a self-destructing explosion, similarly to when they normally lose 2/3 of their HP and likeLethal Bob-ombs. Hitting aSnifaro with at least 3Fireballs during a Bro Flower attack or a Mix Flower attack of any size will heat up the sarcophagus and make the bottomSnifit inside destroy it and run away, leaving the weaker head Snifit to fight alone.
Shroob-ombs andElder Princess Shroob's head with an activated crown are resistant to all attack types, including fire,ice,jumps, andhammer/contondant.Pokeys' andSkellokeys' heads cannot be reached with Bro Flowers, even with the babies' aerial throws, as long as they have at least one body segment, but can still be inflicted with the burn status effect. Mix Flowers can hit a Pokey's head directly no matter how many segments it still has; Skellokeys are never fought with all four brothers and can never be attacked with Mix Flowers.
Weak to fire: | Strong against fire:
| Immune to fire: |
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story[edit]
With the removal ofice, fire is the only element left inMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and itsremake. It is applied to the returning Bro Flower, now simply calledFire Flower and turned into aSpecial/Bros. Attack for Mario and Luigi rather than a consumable item, and Bowser'sFire Breath, which is one if his regular attacks. It is also used in several of Bowser'sSpecial/Brawl Attacks, namelyGoomba Storm andMagikoopa Mob.
Contrarily to previous games in the series, enemies that are resistant to fire will take half damage from the attack rather than a flat 1 damage. Other enemies can be weak to fire and receive increased damage instead, and each enemy has a fixed chance to receive theburn status from the attack that is separate from their resistance to the element itself. The Fire Gloves and Red-Hot Fangs equipments increase the fire attacks of one Bro and Bowser respectively by 20%.
TheBob-omb variant of theJailgoon enemy will be instantaneously defeated when hit with a fire attack, with the trade-off that it will not reward Bowser with aMushroom (Hot Drumstick in the remake) upon breaking the cage. In the original game,Coalbits are the only enemies immune to fire entirely; this was changed in the remake, in which they only are strong against it. In the remake, theSea Pipe Statue andCalorites are the only enemies that gained the ability to be healed by fire attacks, similarly to how it works inMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Calorites andBowser are the only two enemies with fire attacks that can inflict the burn status on Mario and Luigi.
In theBowser Jr.'s Journey campaign, fire is a more consistent element compared to theprevious campaign. It is attributed toLarry,Fire Bros. andFire Stalking P. Plants, and is strong against allplant enemies (PokeysSockops,Borps,Treevils,Beehosses, and Fire Stalking P. Plants, who are incidentally weak to themselves). Fire Bros. are still the only fire allies to be weak to theIce Bros.
Enemies who are only affected by fire in the original are indicated initalic, while enemies who are only affected by fire in the remake are indicated inbold.
Weak to fire: | Strong against fire: | Immune to fire: Heal with fire: |
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]
InMario & Luigi: Dream Team, the fire element is given to the returningFire FlowerBros. Attack, this time exclusive to the real world Luigi, andLuiginary Flame, aLuiginary Attack exclusive to Mario in the Dream World.
Ennemies with fire attacks that can inflict theburn status on the brothers includeMagmads,Flaming Antasmatons, andFire Bros. The game also introduces the "char" status effect, a more severe version of burn.
Weak to fire: | Immune to fire: |
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam[edit]
InMario & Luigi: Paper Jam, fire is the weakness of nearly all paper enemies, along withPaper Mario. It is given to severalBros. Attacks: Luigi'sFire Flower and Mario'sRocket Blast,Bomb Derby, andToad Trail if an Excellent is achieved.
Weak to fire (other than paper): |
Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition[edit]
- Main article:Orb (Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition)
InPuzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition, Fire is one of the five attributes that are given to all the characters and enemies in the game. It is strong against theWood attribute, dealing 150% damage, and weak against theWater attribute, dealing 50% damage; it does not affect and is not affected by theLight andDark attributes.
Several characters possess skills that directly impact the Fire attribute, for example, by boosting the power of all Fire team characters or by turning non-FireOrbs into Fire Orbs to create more opportunities for matching and creating combos. Nearly all Mario variants have the Fire attribute, as well asFire Luigi andBee Luigi.
Fire attribute teammates | |
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Attribute(s) | Teammate(s) |
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Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope[edit]
WhileMario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle only featured theBurn Super Effect, its sequelMario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope adds fire elemental property to the effect. In this game, some enemies are weak to Burn-inflicting attacks and will receive additional damage from them, while others are resistant and will receive less damage instead, on top of being immune to the status effect.
SeveralSparks can be assigned to playable characters to give them Burn related Powers.Pyrostar'sBurn Attack can give the Burn Super Effect to its ally's weapon for a single turn, andPyrogeddon'sSkyrain Burn attacks all enemies within a 9 meters radius with Burn damage. Both Sparks also give theBurn Protector Bonus ability to their ally, granting them immunity to the Burn status effect.
Bowser'sRabbid Mechakoopas Technique can be upgraded toFire Rabbid Mechakoopas, which adds the Burn Super Effect to them.Rayman's Rocket Ride can also be upgraded to Rocket Ride Burn Effect in theRayman in the Phantom Show DLC campaign.
Super Smash Bros. series[edit]
Flame is an effect given to several attacks, items, and hazards in theSuper Smash Bros. series, such as Mario and Luigi'sFireballs, Bowser'sFire Breath, Yoshi'sSuper Dragon, as well asFire Bars,Fire Flowers, andHotheads. It immediately detonates explosive items;explosion-type attacks usually possess the flame effect as well. Red Pikmin are immune to attacks with the flame effect, and inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl they deal more knockback toGrass-type Ivysaur and less knockback toWater-type Squirtle. Characters that arefrozen are instantaneously freed when hit with a flame attack except inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Hotheads will grow larger and stronger when hit with flame andelectric moves.
InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, flame attacks can be altered in The Subspace Emissary withstickers. Some can enhance their associated character's flame attacks (such asBanana,Baby Mario,Capsule,Red Virus,Red Fire, andPeach fromMario Strikers Charged) and others can improve the character's resistance to the flame effect (such asCount Bleck,Tippi,Mario & Luigi,Hooktail, andDonkey Kong fromMario Kart DS). Members of theSubspace Army can have a weakness or resistance to the flame effect, which is cumulated with their resistance to direct and indirect attacks.Petey Piranha is strong against everything but the flame effect, effectively making it its weakness by default.
Weak against flame:
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Strong against flame:
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InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate,spirits serve a similar role to stickers, altering their associated character's attributes. In that game, flame anddarkness attacks are affected by the same spirits. TheDry Bowser,Don Bongo, andFury Bowser spirits enhance the character's fire attacks, whilePapercraft Mario andTiki Tak Tribe increase the damage received from fire attacks.
Names in other languages[edit]
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Japanese | ひ[?] hi | fire | |
Chinese | 火[?] huǒ | fire | |
Dutch | vuur[?] | fire | |
French | feu[?] | fire | |
German | Feuer[?] | fire | |
Italian | fuoco[?] | fire | |
Korean | 불꽃[?] bulkkoch | flame | |
Spanish | fuego[?] | fire |
See also[edit]
- Elements
- Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- Paper Mario
- Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Super Paper Mario
- Paper Mario: The Origami King
- Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
- Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
- Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
- Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
- Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
- Super Smash Bros.
- Super Smash Bros. Melee
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate