Lightning Bolt

Lightning Bolt
Electric trap
Universe	Mario Kart
Appears in	SSBB
Item class	Status

The Lighting Bolt (サンダー, sandā) is an item from the Mario Kart series.

Item description

The Lightning Bolt is an item that debuted in the original Super Mario Kart game for the SNES. The Lightning Bolt can be retrieved from an item box. They take the appearance of a miniature sized lightning bolt. Throughout the Mario Kart series, the Lightning Bolt's primary functions remains almost unchanged, it will generally shrink the rival racers, make them spin out, and decrease the top speed of their karts. Also, the Lightning Bolt has additional effects varying in each Mario Kart installment. In Super Mario Kart, when a character passes a miniature opponent after using the Lightning Bolt, the opponent will spin out. But in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and every game after that, the Lightning Bolt will cause all other racers to drop their items.

In the Super Smash Bros. series

The Lightning Bolt appears as an item in Brawl. The Lightning Bolt in this game is most likely based off of the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! one. When used, it will shrink everybody to minimal size except the one that used it, similar to its function in the Mario Kart series. However, the item can backfire as well, resulting in the player who picked up the item grow small instead or making the other characters size increase (similar to the effects of the Poison Mushroom, except that it's twice as effective). Unlike most other items, the Lightning Bolt requires a character to simply make contact with it in order to gain its effect. On occasion, if one uses the lightning bolt on another, the one who got hit by the bolt will GROW instead of shrinking. The Lightning Bolt also appears as a collectible trophy.

Trophy description

An item that goes off the moment you touch it. It may shrink every other character on the screen. Tiny players suffer a reduction in their attack power and become easier to send flying. After a set amount of time, all the characters will return to their normal sizes. In the Mario Kart series, all players but the item user shrunk, and got flattened when run over.

Transform Glitch

If a character uses the Lightning Bolt on Zelda or Sheik and Zelda/Sheik Transforms, the glitch makes the size of the Lightning Bolt user permanent until Zelda/Sheik gets KO'd or grabs another size-changing item.

Video by Kooliofreezy72 of YouTube <youtube>De6X21Ada9k</youtube>

Super Mario Kart (1992)

Mario Kart 64 (1997)