POW Block

The POW Block is an item introduced in Mario Kart Wii. It causes an earthquake that affects other players, usually those that are ahead of the user. The item has recently returned in HammerBro101's fan-made installments of Mario Kart. Prior to its Mario Kart debut in the Wii installment, it appeared as an item in the Mario Bros. arcade game, where it could be used to defeat all enemies onscreen.

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 (2007)
The POW Block is one of Waluigi's special items in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. When used, it will stun nearby players for about 7 seconds.

Mario Kart Wii (2008)
The POW Block makes its main series Mario Kart debut in Mario Kart Wii as the rarest item in the game. The item can be obtained anywhere from 5th to 9th place, with CPUs also being able to obtain it in 10th place. When activated, a POW Block icon appears above all racers ahead of the user. It makes those racers spin out in a way similar to slipping on a Banana, except it also makes them lose all of their current items, as well as their speed if it hits them. Players can weaken the effect by shaking their Wii Remote at the moment the POW Block strikes. Doing so rids them of their current items while preserving their momentum. The item can be flat out avoided if the player is in mid-air while the third strike goes off.

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (2013)
The POW Block returns in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, acting as it did in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2.

Mario Kart Insanity (2019)
After its absence from Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8, the POW Block returns in HammerBro101's first Mario Kart game, Mario Kart Insanity. Just like in Mario Kart Wii, the POW Block targets all racers ahead of the user by appearing above them. While it retains the ability to take away the player's speed, it no longer makes players lose their current items. Also, its power has significantly increased to that of Lightning, as players can only avoid it if the use a Star, Bullet Bill, or a cannon. It will not affect hovercrafts while they are on the water. It also destroys parts of the track every time the third strike goes off. Instead of spinning out racers, it flips over racers in a way similar to that caused by a Green or Red Shell, except it stuns them for 5 seconds. It will then take them an additional 7 seconds to recover their speed. It can be obtained if the player is anywhere from 7th to 12th place, since there are 16 racers on each track. This is Waluigi's special item, meaning only he can use said item.

Mario Kart: Halfpipe Frenzy (2021)
The POW Block's next appearance is in Mario Kart: Halfpipe Frenzy, acting the same as it did in Mario Kart Insanity. It is once again Waluigi's special item.

Mario Kart Arcade GP: Bike Edition (2022)
The POW Block returns to its Mario Kart Wii behavior in Mario Kart Arcade GP: Bike Edition, affecting all racers ahead of the user and making them lose their items as long as they're on the ground.

Mario Kart X-Treme (2024)
The POW Block has changed behavior in Mario Kart X-Treme. It is a combination of its Mario Bros. iteration (where it has three uses) and its Super Mario Bros. 2 iteration (where it can be thrown).

Mario Kart Arcade GP World Tour (2025)
The POW Block reappears in Mario Kart Arcade GP World Tour, acting the same as it did in the previous arcade installment.

Mario Kart: Circuit Madness (2026)
The POW Block returns in Mario Kart: Circuit Madness, acting the same as it did in Mario Kart X-Treme.

Mario Kart: Revenge of Snaking (2027), Mario Kart Revamped (2028), Mario Kart: Mind Over Mechs (2030), Mario Kart: Glitches Galore (2032), and Mario Kart Twinsanity (2034)
The POW Block also appears in these five Mario Kart installments, acting as it did in Mario Kart Insanity. However, it once again makes the racers ahead of the user lose their items, and it can be avoided by using a Mega Mushroom or being in the air, similar to Mario Kart Wii

Koopa Kart Wii (2010)
The POW Block is a new item to the Koopa Kart series in Koopa Kart Wii, where it can be obtained from 7th to 12th place. As in Koopa Party 8 and Mario Kart Wii, the POW Block sends an earthquake to all racers ahead of the user, making them spin out and lose their items. This item can be partially avoided if the player deploys the wheelie button on the third strike or completely avoided if they are in mid-air. The former method will still cost the player their items but allow them to retain their momentum, while the latter method allows the player to keep their items and momentum.

Koopa Kart Tour (2020)
After its absence from Koopa Kart 7 and Koopa Kart 8, the POW Block returns in Koopa Kart Tour with its original function, though it can destroy items on the track and can no longer be weakened by pressing the trick button. This item is obtainable from 5th to 9th place.

Trivia

 * Of all the items introduced in Mario Kart Wii, the POW Block has appeared in the most amount of Mario Kart games, appearing in fourteen games (ten if not counting the arcade titles).
 * However, like the Mega Mushroom and Thunder Cloud, the POW Block has been absent from two Mario Kart games, spanning an 11 year absence from Mario Kart Wii (2008) to Mario Kart Insanity (2019).