Metal Box

Metal Box
Metal Box artwork from Brawl.
Universe	Mario
Appears in	Melee Brawl
Item class	Transforming

The Metal Box (緑(みどり)ブロック, Green Box) is an item from the Mario series that appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The Metal Box encases the character's bodies with metal for a short period of time.

In the Super Smash Bros. series

The Metal Box encases the character's body in metal. It has the following effects:

• It lasts about 12 seconds, but the time limit decreases as the user takes damage, especially from fire attacks like Bowser's Fire Breath. However, Peach's down smash in Melee is capable of turning character's metal body back to normal character's body instantaneously, if it is fully charged, multiple hits connect, and the user attempted to crouch cancel.
• User becomes heavier (about 3 times more), thus received knockback will be reduced.
• Slightly decreases jumping height (due to their greater gravity).
• Doubles a character's falling speed, making recoveries harder (in Melee, it's much harder to recover than in Brawl), and more vulnerable to chain grabs.
• Reduces speed slightly.
• Attacks performed by a metal character deal slightly more knockback, although the damage dealt remains unchanged.
• Removes any character's voices (although, as sound effects are still retained, Mr. Game & Watch is unaffected by this).

The effect of the Metal Box is not quite as drastic as the various Metal fights in Classic Mode, which last the whole battle and does not wear off.

Super Smash Bros.

While the Metal Box does not appear in SSB, Metal Mario appears as a foe the player must battle in the 1-Player Game. Metal Mario here can take far over 300% damage before being sent flying off-screen.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

File:Ssbmitemsmetalbox.jpg

The Metal Box in Melee.

The Metal Box makes its debut in Melee. In this game, when characters break the Metal Box with a physical attack (or a direct attack such as a sword), their whole body will be encased with metal. The metal condition lasts around twelve seconds and then fades away. During this period they are approximately 3 times heavier than normal. If a projectile destroys the Metal Box, then no one can receive the metal condition. Interestingly, Ness' dash attack destroys the box, but does not give him the metal status. His yo-yo does, however. Characters can fight Metal Mario and/or Metal Luigi in Adventure Mode. In addition, they also fight a random metal character in Classic Mode. The Metal Box also appears as a collectible trophy.

Depending on the weight and walking style of a character, when characters walk, they make a distinctive sound.

Sounds:

• Heavy: "CLUTCH!"
• Medium: "CHANK!"
• Light: "TING!"

Heavy characters such as Ganondorf, Samus, and Link and light characters such as the Ice Climbers and Zelda all make middleweight stepping sounds, despite being nowhere near medium weight.

File:Metal boxtrophy.jpg

The Metal Box Trophy

Trophy Description (Melee)

First spotted in Super Mario 64, the Metal Box holds the power to turn your character briefly into heavy metal. Your mass is exponentially greater while metallic, making it difficult for others to throw you. Be careful, though: not only will you move a bit slower, but you'll also fall much more quickly than you ordinarily would.
Super Mario 64 9/96

Metal Box trophy in Brawl.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

The Metal Box appears again in Brawl with its effect unaltered, although it will not react to projectiles. In addition, a "Metal" option exists in Special Brawl, which gives every player a permanent Metal Box effect. It also has an effect on the new ability to swim; while characters will not sink as Metal Mario did in Super Mario 64, they will submerge deeper when falling into the water, which is used to reach a secret area in the Glacial Peak level of the Subspace Emissary mode (3 metal boxes are provided nearby). In Classic Mode, the player must also fight a random metal character. Additionally, the Metal Box also appears as a collectible trophy. The walking sound effect in Brawl is not the same as in Melee; everyone has the same sound when walking.

Trophy description (Brawl)

A green box that transforms whoever attacks it into metal. In metal form, you're a lot heavier than normal, so middling and even strong attacks don't move you too much, and standard attacks won't even make you flinch. The time you spend in metal form decreases with the damage you take. In Super Mario 64, the weight of the metal form allowed you to walk underwater.

Super Mario 64 (1996)

Origin

File:MetalBoxSM64.jpg

A Metal Box as it originally appeared in Super Mario 64.

Metal Boxes come from Super Mario 64, wherein Mario could destroy them (only after activating them by pressing the Green "!" Switch) so that they release a Metal Cap. Once Mario puts this cap on, he himself becomes metal. He becomes powerful, able to walk underwater, and immune to all damage, but is much heavier and more sluggish. These effects are similar in Melee and Brawl.

Trivia

• When characters perform a Final Smash in metal form, they regain their voice.
• Interestingly, being metal does not affect gliding whatsoever.
  • Also, Peach is still able to float without falling in metal form.
• Though the box itself turns a fighter into metal in the Smash universe, the Metal Box was not what turned Mario into metal in its debut; it was actually the metal cap it housed.
• Mr. Game & Watch is the only character that makes sounds in metal form (perhaps because he actually has no voice like Olimar, and the beeps he makes are from his attacks, which are not silenced in metal form). He also appears to be 3D due to the metal texture.
• Olimar's whole helmet becomes metal, so it is not possible to see his face behind it unless the camera in pause is positioned inside the helmet, which is near impossible.
• Olimar's Pikmin do not become metal, despite doing so in Classic Mode.