Barrel Cannon

Barrel Cannon
Artwork of a Barrel Cannon from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Universe	Donkey Kong
Debut	Donkey Kong Country (1994)
Appears in	SSB Melee Brawl SSB4 Ultimate
Item class	Heavy item/Trap
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Donkey Kong Bananza (2025)
Article on Super Mario Wiki	Barrel Cannon

Barrel Cannons (タル大砲, Barrel Cannon) are an element from the Donkey Kong series that appears in every game of the Super Smash Bros. series.

Origin

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong blasting between Barrel Cannons in Donkey Kong Country.

Barrel Cannons debuted in Donkey Kong Country. They are barrels that launch Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong over long distances, requiring the player to fire them manually. Their first and most prominent appearance is in the level Barrel Cannon Canyon, where the Kongs must use them to clear large gaps. Barrel Cannons typically appear in quick succession to form continuous chains over wide pits, which can also be seen in levels such as Tree Top Town and Snow Barrel Blast. Some Barrel Cannons appear individually, occasionally used only to propel the Kongs straight upward. While many Barrel Cannons remain stationary, others move back and forth along either a horizontal or vertical path. Some Barrel Cannons rotate around at varying speeds, and are distinctly known as Spin Barrels by the Donkey Kong Country Player's Guide. The game also introduces Blast Barrels, which launch the Kongs automatically upon entry and are marked by a distinct white outline of an explosion.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest introduced Arrow Barrels that indicated which direction they would fire, which became the basis for the Barrel Cannons in the Smash Bros. series. Both Arrow Barrels and Blast Barrels have often been conflated with Barrel Cannons in games not made by Rare, developers of the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy. Unlike in the Super Smash Bros. games, the Arrow Barrels were always stationary.

Overview

Barrel Cannons appear in various Donkey Kong-related stages. While its exact behavior varies slightly between games, it operates the same overall. Fighters who enter the barrel are temporarily held inside. Pressing any button or waiting long enough will fire the character in whatever direction the barrel is pointing, sending them reeling; depending on the game, the character might deal damage to enemies they run into.

In Super Smash Bros.

As a stage element

A single Barrel Cannon floats below the Kongo Jungle stage, moving back and forth. Characters can enter the barrel at any time to be fired out a short period of time later, or after they press a button. While the Barrel Cannon can be used to recover if the character cannot reach the stage, it can rotate unpredictably, resulting in being fired sideways or downwards to a sure self-destruct. Characters cannot enter occupied barrels.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

As an item

The Barrel Cannon as it appears in Kongo Jungle in Melee

Barrel Cannons appear as a rare and quickly-vanishing item, appearing infrequently even if the item drop frequency is set on very high. They can be picked up and thrown as heavy items, or they may become active should they appear on a sufficiently steep slope. Characters other than the thrower that touch an active Barrel Cannon will be trapped inside, and must press a button to fire themselves to escape. Waiting too long to fire may cause the barrel to roll off the stage, making it very difficult to recover if it subsequently fires in the wrong direction. Touching an occupied barrel deals minor damage and knockback. Giga Bowser, Master Hand, and Crazy Hand cannot enter a Barrel Cannon, so they will take damage if one is thrown at them instead.

The bottom of the cannon has the text "2L84ME" on it, which translates to "Too late for me", referencing the difficulty dodging and escaping the Barrel. The same alphanumeric sequence appears on a wooden crate in a piece of official art for Donkey Kong Country.

As a stage element

A Barrel Cannon appears in Kongo Falls as a stage element. It functions identically to the one in the Kongo Jungle stage of Smash 64, though a Klaptrap carried down by the rapids can occasionally get stuck inside. If a fighter touches the Barrel Cannon while it is occupied by a Klaptrap, they take damage and cannot enter inside. Eventually, the Klaptrap is fired out, dealing 30% damage and massive knockback to whomever it hits.

As a trophy

Barrel Cannon's trophy in Melee

Barrel Cannon

The Barrel Cannons were used in Donkey Kong games as a vital means of transportation, and their explosive nature is used similarly in Super Smash Bros. Melee. On the Kongo Jungle stage, one can catch characters as they fall from the main platform. Careful! The Barrel Cannon rotation may accidentally send you flying off the screen.

Donkey Kong Country (11/94)

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

As a stage element

The auto-firing Barrel Cannon in The Subspace Emissary

Barrel Cannons appear only in The Subspace Emissary. They appear as black metal tubes with shiny silver rims on each end, looking noticeably different from their appearances in the Donkey Kong franchise. However, they operate in the exact same manner as in the Donkey Kong Country series, with certain sections of specific stages requiring precise timing to traverse a chain of Barrel Cannons. There are two types of Barrel Cannons: the standard type features a yellow-and-red arrow inside a round badge with a red border and a bright blue background, which can be fired manually. The other type, which functions like an auto-firing Blast Barrel from the Donkey Kong games, displays a large yellow arrow outlined in red painted directly on the barrel and launches the player immediately upon entry. Certain Barrel Cannons act as traps, firing the character offscreen during ambushes and the like.

In Super Smash Bros. 4

As a stage element

Barrel Cannons in the Jungle Hijinxs stage have the "starburst" design from Donkey Kong Country Returns. They are used to travel between the stage's two planes. Characters who attempt to use a Barrel Cannon too soon after the previous one (due to still being smoking from the first) may cause the barrel to explode and launch them upwards or downwards, stopping players from simply using them to constantly run away from opponents.

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Barrel Cannons are also in Smash 64's Kongo Jungle stage, working the same as before.

Smash Run

Barrel Cannons appear in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS as part of Smash Run mode, using the Subspace Emissary role and design. Unlike Brawl, however, players cannot indefinitely stay in certain Barrel Cannons; rather, they will be shot out after enough time has passed.

Stage Builder

Cannons similar in purpose to Barrel Cannons appear as objects in the Stage Builder in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U with a unique design. They can be placed at any rotation and remain fixed, automatically firing anyone who comes into contact with them. The large cannon sends fighters flying farther than the small one.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The role of Barrel Cannons were largely recycled from earlier games.

As a stage element

A Barrel Cannon in Ultimate's version of the Kongo Falls stage

Barrel Cannons appear in three returning stages: Kongo Jungle (from Smash 64), Kongo Falls (from Melee), and Jungle Hijinxs (from Smash for Wii U), functioning identically as before in every case.

Classic Mode

In Classic Mode, the Bonus Game features a cannon at the end that blasts the player into a portal, ending the stage.

Stage Builder

Cannons similar in purpose to Barrel Cannons return in the Stage Builder, retaining their design and function from the Stage Builder in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Gallery

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  The Barrel Cannon at the bottom of Congo Jungle in Super Smash Bros.
• 

  A Barrel Cannon in the Subspace Emissary in Brawl
• 

  A model of the manual-fire Barrel Cannon in Brawl
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  A Barrel Cannon in Smash Run in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
• 

  Cannons in Stage Builder in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
• 

  A barrel cannon in Jungle Hijinxs

Trivia

• In Ultimate, for unknown reasons Peach and Simon use different reference nodes for launching compared to their Echo Fighter counterparts (Daisy and Richter, respectively). This results in Peach being launched closer to the opening than Daisy, thus going further and colliding with fighters or the stage at different times. The same is true for Simon and Richter, though in reverse and to a lesser extent.