POW Block: The earthquake that sweeps away all enemies

ItemPOW BlockMario Bros.

One single hit, and every enemy on screen goes down at once. Born in the Mario Bros. arcade cabinet in 1983, the POW Block sets off an earthquake that sweeps the whole screen. This guide retraces its forty years of appearances across every genre, its blue, red and Wonder variants, and its status as an essential item all the way into Super Smash Bros.

The POW Block (POW Block in English) is one of the oldest and most spectacular items in the entire Mario universe: a metallic blue block that, once activated, triggers an earthquake that sweeps away every enemy on screen in one go.

Born back in 1983 in an arcade cabinet, it has spanned forty years of video games, from platformers to kart racing, right up to becoming a full-fledged item in Super Smash Bros. Few items in the saga can boast such longevity.

Contents

• A block born in the Mario Bros. arcade game (1983)
• How it works: an earthquake that sweeps the screen
• Forty years of appearances, across every genre
• Blue, red, Wonder: the POW Block variants
• A playable item in Super Smash Bros.
• Quick facts
• FAQ

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A block born in the Mario Bros. arcade game (1983)

The POW Block appears for the very first time in the arcade game Mario Bros., released in 1983. In this founding title, where the two plumbers clear the pipes of the creatures crawling out of them, they do not jump on their enemies yet: they knock them out by hitting the platforms from below.

Placed in the middle of the screen, the block acts as a last-resort weapon. Hit from below, it causes an earthquake that flips over every enemy standing on the platforms in one go, leaving the player to finish them off before they get back up.

That power comes at a price, though: the block flattens a little more with every hit and vanishes for good after three uses. This three-use rule, set in place back in 1983, would remain one of the item's signatures for decades.

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How it works: an earthquake that sweeps the screen

The way the POW Block works has stayed devastatingly simple across console generations. Whether it is struck in mid-air or picked up and thrown to the ground, it releases a shockwave that shakes the entire playfield. The result is almost always the same: enemies touching the ground are put out of action, while those up in the air often escape.

• In Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988), you pick it up and throw it to the ground to defeat every visible enemy at once on screen.
• In New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009), the block can be carried and thrown; it wipes out enemies but also brings down every coin and Star Coin floating in mid-air, which makes it essential for tracking down certain collectibles.

Beware of a common mix-up: New Super Mario Bros. Wii should not be confused with New Super Mario Bros., the 2006 Nintendo DS game that revived the series in two dimensions. It really is the Wii entry, and not the DS one, that puts the playable POW Block back in the spotlight.

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Forty years of appearances, across every genre

The POW Block's great strength is its ability to leave the platformer behind and turn up in nearly every genre of the Mario galaxy, from role-playing games to kart racing. Few major spin-off series have failed to welcome it.

• In the Paper Mario series it resurfaces regularly, faithful to its quake effect against enemies.
• In Mario Kart Wii (2008), it becomes a rare racing item that makes every rival ahead of the player spin out and drop their items after three shakes; jumping at the right moment or taking off from a ramp softens the effect.
• In Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (2014), you set it off by throwing a turnip at it or tapping it on screen to clear a diorama stage of its enemies.
• In Luigi's Mansion 3 (2019), it shows up in a mini-game of the ScreamPark multiplayer mode, where its shake makes the sand slide across a tray.

It even slips into the Super Mario Maker creation games, where players can place it in their own levels, proof of its status as a gameplay element that has become essential.

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Blue, red, Wonder: the POW Block variants

While the standard POW Block sports an instantly recognizable metallic blue, the series has piled on color variants over the years, each with its own rules.

• The Red POW Block first appears in New Super Mario Bros. 2 (2012): it cannot be picked up, it activates when hit, has a shorter range and can trigger a chain reaction with neighboring red blocks.
• The Wonder POW Block turns up in Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023): this giant orange-red block, born from the power of a Wonder Flower, never runs out and sets off quakes at will across the full width of the screen.

Green shades have also been spotted here and there, but blue remains the POW Block's canonical color in the vast majority of its appearances.

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A playable item in Super Smash Bros.

The POW Block's crowning moment comes when it goes from mere scenery to full playable item in the Super Smash Bros. series, alongside the plumber's great classics.

It is in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U (2014) that it becomes a throwable item. Slammed into the ground, it creates a shockwave that deals damage and launches grounded opponents high into the air, a perfect setup for following up with aerial attacks.

True to its arcade roots, the item only works three times and shrinks with every use before disappearing. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), setting off one POW Block chain-triggers every other POW Block on the stage, with the damage adding up as their number grows.

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The POW Block at a glance

French name	Bloc POW
English name	POW Block
First appearance	Mario Bros. (arcade, 1983)
Type	Earthquake-triggering item
Hits or defeats every enemy on screen	Hits or defeats every enemy on screen
Standard color	Metallic blue
Variants	Red POW Block, Wonder POW Block
Item in Smash Bros.	Since Smash 3DS / Wii U (2014)

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FAQ

• Which game does the POW Block first appear in?
  The POW Block makes its debut in the arcade game Mario Bros., released in 1983. There you activate it by hitting it from below to flip over every enemy standing on the platforms at once.
• What exactly does the POW Block do?
  Once hit or thrown to the ground, it triggers an earthquake that hits or defeats every enemy on screen. In most games it can only be used three times before disappearing.
• What color is the POW Block?
  It is usually metallic blue. There are variants, though, such as the Red POW Block from New Super Mario Bros. 2 and the giant orange-red Wonder POW Block from Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
• Is the POW Block playable in Super Smash Bros.?
  Yes. It becomes a throwable item starting with Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, in 2014. Slammed into the ground, it launches grounded opponents straight up into the air.
• How do you avoid the POW Block in Mario Kart Wii?
  In Mario Kart Wii, the POW Block makes the racers ahead of the user spin out. You can soften the effect by being airborne at the moment of impact, for instance by jumping at the right time or taking off from a ramp.

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