Mario
- For fighter info, see Mario (SSB), Mario (SSBM), Mario (SSBB), Mario (SSB4), and Mario (SSBU).
| Mario | |
|---|---|
   
Official artwork of Mario in his standard outfit with Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey, Builder Mario from Super Mario Maker, and his wedding outfit from Super Mario Odyssey. | |
| Universe | Mario |
| Debut | Donkey Kong (1981) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | SSB Melee Brawl SSB4 Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Mario Tennis Fever (2026) |
| Console/platform of origin | Arcade |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Place of origin | Mushroom Kingdom |
| Created by | Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Designed by | Shigeru Miyamoto (Donkey Kong) Yoichi Kotabe (Super Mario Bros. series) Shigefumi Hino (Super Mario World) |
| Voice actor | Charles Martinet |
| Article on Super Mario Wiki | Mario |
Mario (マリオ, Mario) is the eponymous protagonist of the Mario series. Used as the mascot of Nintendo,[1] Mario is said to be the most well-known and most popular video game character in the world,[2] having appeared in over 200 video games.
As a member of the "perfect-attendance crew", Mario has been featured as a playable character throughout the entire Super Smash Bros. series.
Origin[edit]
In 1981, years before video games exploded into mainstream popularity, prominent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto designed the original arcade game Donkey Kong, which debuted Mario as the main playable character and Donkey Kong as his in-game nemesis. Mario's character design was heavily influenced by the extreme technical limitations of video games at the time; because he was composed of only a small batch of pixels, Mario was given a mustache beneath his large nose to indicate he had a face.[3] Red overalls and a blue shirt—the reverse of his current red shirt and blue overalls—were used to provide contrast against each other and the background, while a red cap was added to allow Miyamoto to avoid drawing hair, a forehead, and eyebrows, as well as to circumvent the difficulty of animating hair movement during jumps.[4] Although unnamed in the Japanese release of Donkey Kong, the character was called Jumpman in the game's English instructions.[5] During the game's localization for American audiences, however, Nintendo of America's warehouse landlord at the time, the late Mario Segale, confronted then-president Minoru Arakawa to demand back rent. Following a heated argument in which Nintendo employees eventually convinced Segale that he would be paid, they opted to officially rename Jumpman to Mario in Segale's honor;[6] this name was subsequently carried over into the game's sales brochure.[7]
In Donkey Kong, Mario is portrayed as a carpenter from New York[8] whose girlfriend, Pauline (originally "Lady" in Japan), is captured by the gorilla Donkey Kong at a construction site. Mario must jump over the barrels and flames Donkey Kong throws at him in order to climb the scaffolding and rescue Pauline. After his initial appearance in this pioneering game, Mario was reintroduced under his proper name for the first time in Japan in the sequel Donkey Kong Junior—in which he was portrayed as the antagonist—and was identified as being of Italian ethnicity by Nintendo's then-president Hiroshi Yamauchi. Mario and his newly introduced brother, Luigi, then starred as plumbers in the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros.
Miyamoto's next game was the world-famous Super Mario Bros. for the Famicom/NES, a title credited with helping to reverse the effects of the North American video game crash of 1983, introducing many common game design tropes, and establishing Nintendo as a major company in what would become a major industry. Many iconic aspects of Mario and his franchise were established here: Mario and Luigi now live in the magical Mushroom Kingdom, which is ruled by Princess Toadstool and populated by her mushroom-like servants, the Toads. When the Koopa King, Bowser, kidnaps the princess, Mario is provoked to rescue her. In Super Mario Bros., Mario bounds across side-scrolling platform stages, jumping on the heads of common enemies like Goombas and Koopa Troopas to defeat them. He starts out small but can grow to double his size by grabbing a Super Mushroom, gain the ability to shoot fireballs with a Fire Flower, or become invincible for a short period by grabbing a Super Star. These elements became inseparable from video game iconography and have remained consistent throughout most future games in the Mario franchise.
Mario was first portrayed as an infant in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, not counting minor instances in American media like "Toddler Terrors of Time Travel" episode of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and "Family Album 'The Early Years'" of the Nintendo Comics System. Yoshi and a few others of his species would help Baby Mario reunite with Baby Luigi. This continued in the sequel, Yoshi's Island DS, where the Yoshis also had to help Baby Peach, Baby Wario, Baby DK, and even Baby Bowser (who later betrayed them). Baby Mario was first established as a distinct character from Mario in the Nintendo 64 game Mario Golf, where he and Mario are separate characters on the roster. Baby Mario and Baby Luigi teamed up with their adult counterparts, Mario and Luigi, throughout the role-playing game Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.
For over 30 years afterward, Mario has starred in numerous games for various Nintendo systems. Mario and his franchise serve as Nintendo's thematic tileset for creating games of a whimsical, colorful, and light-hearted nature. Mario himself is intended as a character anyone can enjoy playing as, suitable as a protagonist or a balanced central character across many genres. To this end, he is not portrayed as undergoing character development typical of protagonists in expansive stories, but rather as a character defined by the player's actions and a few core traits, such as cheerfulness, whimsy, a desire to help others, and a humorous high-pitched Italian accent originally provided by Charles Martinet. As a result, Mario functions as a semi-silent protagonist, only sporadically depicted speaking coherent English sentences. In contemporary Mario games, most of his vocalizations consist of grunts, yells, and occasional catchphrases such as "Mama Mia!", "It's-a me, Mario!", and "Let's-a-go!", though he has been shown to speak at length in select spin-off games and official interviews. Similarly, while Mario largely serves as an "everyman" protagonist adaptable to any needed role, he has demonstrated distinct characterization; for instance, the ending of Super Mario Odyssey shows Mario comforting his longtime nemesis, Bowser, after Peach rejects both of their marriage proposals, portraying him as a selfless character who sees the best in others. As the optimistic protagonist and flagship character for both his series and company, Mario is inherently easy for players to appreciate, and he is typically the most balanced playable character in any game he appears in. While the definitive Martinet-voiced depiction—first heard in promotional materials and the sparsely-acknowledged Mario Teaches Typing series—was codified by Super Mario 64 to the extent that Martinet's successor, Kevin Afghani, effectively performs impressions of Martinet's voices for Mario (and Luigi), most auxiliary media prior to Super Mario 64 provided different portrayals of the iconic plumber. Examples include a trio of animated series produced by the now-defunct DIC Entertainment and the 1993 live-action film, which typically portrayed Mario as a mild caricature of a working-class Italian-American with a gruff Brooklyn accent. Some elements of this portrayal, alongside his NES-era backstory, were revived in the 2023 animated film and its 2026 direct sequel.
Genres in which Mario appears as a playable character include the traditional 2D side-scrolling platformer Super Mario Bros. and its sequels; the famed Super NES launch title Super Mario World, which introduced Yoshi as a trustworthy mount; and New Super Mario Bros. and its sequels, which revived the classic Super Mario Bros. gameplay style. Mario has also starred in various 3D platforming adventures, including the seminal Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64, followed by Super Mario Sunshine for the Nintendo GameCube, Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Wii, Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS, Super Mario 3D World for the Wii U, and Super Mario Odyssey for the Nintendo Switch. In addition to being critical successes, Super Mario 64, the Galaxy duology, and Odyssey in particular are considered among the greatest games of all time and have influenced countless other titles both within and beyond the platformer genre. Spin-off titles include the Mario Kart series of power-up and obstacle-based racing games, whose popularity has exceeded that of Mario's original platformer outings; the long-running multiplayer board game series Mario Party; and various Mario-themed sports titles, such as Mario Golf and Mario Tennis. There have also been RPG spinoffs, namely Super Mario RPG, the Paper Mario series, and the Mario & Luigi series. Finally, there is the puzzle-based Dr. Mario, in which Mario uses Megavitamins—a medicine of his own creation[9]—to combat viruses. In addition to launching its own spin-off series, this game also introduced Dr. Mario as a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series.
Several of Mario's friends and adversaries have also headlined their own solo adventures, including Luigi, Princess Peach, and Captain Toad. Notably, the Super Smash Bros. series treats some of these characters as belonging to their own individual franchises rather than the Mario franchise, particularly Mario's loyal steed and childhood savior Yoshi, his unfriendly and flatulent mirror image Wario, and his first-ever enemy and ongoing rival Donkey Kong. Some of these series have, in turn, paved the way for starring roles for characters multiple degrees removed from Mario, such as Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Pyoro.
In Super Smash Bros.[edit]
As a playable character[edit]
Mario makes his first appearance in a fighting game in Super Smash Bros. as a starter character. His design is based on his appearance in Super Mario 64. Like in many Mario spin-off games, he is touted as the most balanced character with no real strengths or weaknesses; therefore, new players of the game are encouraged to play as Mario in order to learn the game's fundamentals. In addition, his younger twin brother Luigi appears as a clone, albeit with a few different attributes.
Mario's neutral special move is Fire Ball, which is moderately fast but deals minor damage. His up special move is Super Jump Punch, which hits multiple times and is used as his recovery move. Lastly, Mario's down special move is Mario Tornado, in which he whirls his body akin to a Spin Jump in order to damage foes around him with a series of discus clotheslines and spinning backfists.
Mario boasts a potent combo game, thanks primarily to his spammable up tilt and versatile down aerial. His edge-guarding potential is also respectable: down smash, forward aerial and back aerial possess respectable power, while down aerial can meteor smash. Mario also sports two powerful KOing options in his up smash and back throw, while his forward smash and forward throw also sport KO potential, albeit to a lesser degree in comparison. Lastly, Mario's recovery is fairly good, thanks to Super Jump Punch's traveling distance and Mario Tornado's ability to cover more distance via button mashing.
However, Mario's overall range is sub-par, even in spite of having Fireball as a projectile. On a related note, he has difficulty dealing with projectiles and pressure. Mario also has poor mobility, which can hinder his combos and recovery, in addition to further compounding his aforementioned issues with projectiles and pressure. Lastly, the majority of Mario's frame data is laggy.
Due to his lack of both outstanding strengths and weaknesses, Mario is currently ranked 7th out of 12 on the tier list. This places him at the bottom of the B tier, and posits him as a mid tier character.
Mario's in-game character description reads as follows:
- Mario
- Although best known as the mustachioed plumber who battles the Turtle Tribe with his distinct jumping action, this internationally-famous hero has also acted as a referee, a driver, and even a doctor! He's been linked to Princess Peach of Mushroom Kingdom for years, but to this day their true relationship remains a mystery.
- Works:
- Super Mario Bros. (NES)
- Super Mario Kart (SNES)
- Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64)
In Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
As a playable character[edit]
Mario returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Unlike in SSB, his design has been updated to appear almost exactly like his Nintendo 64 render artwork, instead of his in-game appearances in Super Mario 64 and Mario Party. Like his fellow veterans, Mario has now received a side special move. In his case, it is Cape, which can reverse the direction an opponent is facing upon contact, reflect projectiles, and even assist with his recovery. Although Luigi has been de-cloned to semi-clone status, Mario nevertheless received another full clone in Melee. In this case, his doctor persona from the Dr. Mario series appears as a playable character with a few different attributes.
In addition to retaining a useful projectile in Fireball and a potent combo game, Mario's overall frame data has become faster, while his edge-guarding potential, grab game and mobility have each improved in certain ways. Cape's reversal property can gimp recoveries, while his new forward aerial is capable of meteor smashing. Like the rest of the cast, Mario has received a pummel, up throw and down throw; in addition to expanding his grab game's options, the latter two are useful for chain grabbing. Lastly, the implementation of wavedashing improves Mario's approach.
However, Mario continues to lack a reliably safe and/or particularly strong finisher: his new forward smash consists of a sweet spot and sour spot, the back throw is burdened by his overall short grab range, and up smash is much weaker. In addition, Mario's overall range remains poor, which impairs his ability to fight against characters with disjointed ranges, such as Marth.
Due to his continued lack of outstanding strengths or weaknesses, Mario is currently ranked 15th out of 26 on the 13th tier list. This places him in the C+ tier (notably two spots lower than his doctor persona and three spots lower than Luigi), and reaffirms his status as a mid tier character.
Trophies[edit]
In addition to the standard three trophies which playable characters in Melee get - a standard trophy won by defeating Classic Mode, and "Smash Red" and "Smash Blue" trophies won by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively - Mario, as Nintendo's mascot, also features on a number of other trophies as Dr. Mario (see Dr. Mario (SSBM)), Raccoon Mario, Metal Mario, Paper Mario, and Mario & Yoshi. The last trophy, in particular, is especially notable for being one of three trophies (the other two being Samus Unmasked and (in Western versions only) Tamagon) that cannot be found during normal play: it can only be acquired in the NTSC and PAL versions via hacking device, whereas it could only be acquired in the Japanese version via a special Japanese events or by using a hacking device.[10] There is also a trophy for Baby Mario, a baby version of Mario that mostly appears in Yoshi games.
- Mario
- Known worldwide as Mr. Nintendo, Mario uses his incredible jumping ability to thwart the evil Bowser time after time. While he's best known as a hero, Mario has played many roles, including racer, doctor, golfer, and villain. His tastes have changed over 20 years of gaming; he long ago swapped the colors of his shirt and overalls.
- Donkey Kong (Arcade 1981)
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- Mario SMASH
- Mario is a character without any glaring weaknesses and plenty of strong attacks: he's even equipped with a Meteor Smash. He's a straightforward character who'll reflect the actual skills of the player. Mario's Cape will turn other characters in the opposite direction and can also reflect missile weapons.
- B: Fireball
- Smash B: Cape
.png)
- Mario SMASH
- Mass determines how easily a character can be sent flying, as well as a character's physical strength: Mario's mass is the standard upon which other Smash fighters are measured. His Super Jump Punch sends foes skyward in a shower of coins, while the Mario Tornado pulls in nearby foes, spins them silly, and scatters them every which way.
- Up & B: Super Jump Punch
- Down & B: Mario Tornado
- Raccoon Mario
- In Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Leafs caused Mario to grow raccoon ears and a tail. By sprinting and rapidly wagging the tail, Mario gained the ability to fly for short periods. Like the Cape in Super Mario World, the tail also reduced the speed at which he fell, making midair moves easier. Needless to say, real raccoons were jealous.
- Super Mario Bros. 3 (2/90)
- Metal Mario
- Mario was in for a surprise the first time he hit a Metal Box in Super Mario 64. The metal cap that popped out transformed Mario into living metal, giving him great stamina, a heavy tread, and the ability to walk underwater. In Super Smash Bros., Metal Mario showed up as an incredibly stubborn midlevel boss.
- Super Mario 64 (9/96)
- Paper Mario
- The Star Rod: Bowser stole it, and Mario wants it back. Bowser vs. Mario is familiar for Mario afficionados, but Paper Mario is novel. What this game brings to the 3D polygon-filled gaming world is its art style: everything is wafer thin! What the visuals lack in realism, they more than make up for in unique artistry.
- Paper Mario (2/01)
- Mario & Yoshi
- Yoshi was first introduced in Super Mario World, and the sight of Mario riding the helpful character soon became an enduring image. Despite his Cape, Mario can't fly while astride Yoshi. The pair can make huge jumps and drift slowly back to earth, though. As a last resort, Mario could leap off Yoshi's back to safety.
- Super Mario World (9/91)
- Baby Mario
- Long ago, when the stork was carrying Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to the Mario household, the stork was ambushed, causing Baby Mario to tumble onto Yoshi's Island. This marked the beginning of the Yoshies' adventure to deliver Baby Mario to his parents. Since then, Baby Mario's been spotted on golf courses and tennis courts.
- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (10/95)
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
As a playable character[edit]
Mario returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but his doctor persona has been cut as a playable character. Mario's design has been updated, as it is now based on his appearance since the GameCube era, albeit with a realistic aesthetic and subdued color scheme. In addition to gaining his Fire Mario attire as an alternate costume, Mario has gained F.L.U.D.D. from Super Mario Sunshine as his down special move, while Mario Tornado is now his down aerial attack.
Like his fellow veterans, Mario now has a Final Smash; in his case, it is Mario Finale, which consists of him firing a pair of colossal, intertwining Fireballs to engulf all opponents in the direction he is facing. In addition to retaining overall quick frame data and a useful projectile in Fireball, Mario now boasts improved KO potential: his forward smash's sourspot is much stronger, his down smash's back hit now deals consistent damage, and both Mario Tornado and Super Jump Punch have gained KO potential thanks to their much stronger final hitboxes.
Mario's already respectable edge-guarding potential has also improved. The universal decrease to falling speeds makes his forward aerial easier to meteor smash with. Cape is even more potent for gimping, thanks to it now reversing the opponent's momentum and controls upon contact. Lastly, F.L.U.D.D. is a chargeable move that possesses push boxes and, when fully charged, decent range as well.
However, Mario has received significant nerfs as well, largely from changes to gameplay mechanics. In particular, the introduction of hitstun canceling severely harmed Mario's once-useful combo game: up tilt can now only combo into itself at low percentages, while up and down throws have lost both their chain grabbing and combo potentials entirely. The removal of both wavedashing and L-canceling also hinder Mario: the former results in his approach being unimpressive like in SSB, while the latter results in his aerials' landing lag not being fully compensated.
Due to his nerfs outweighing his buffs, as well as his balanced motif being drastically outclassed by noticeable strengths displayed by various characters, Mario is ranked 31st out of 38 on the tier list. This places him in the F tier, and posits him as a bottom tier character.
Trophies[edit]
Mario has a trophy that is awarded each time Classic Mode is completed with him on any difficulty.
- Mario
- A familiar overall-clad figure who is Nintendo's flagship character. His courage and jumping ability have seen him through countless adventures. He's a multitalented plumber with the knowledge of a physician, a top-notch golfer, and a veteran tennis umpire. Is his jumping prowess a boon from his girder-climbing days?
: Donkey Kong- : Super Mario Bros.
- Baby Mario
Mario as a baby...a crybaby at that. Although he lacks overalls, we can see the trademark red hat even at this young age. Everyone's favorite hero was riding Yoshi and adventuring from his youngest days, and even as a baby, it's clear that Mario had quite the nose.
Mario as a baby...a crybaby at that. Even then he wore overalls, and we can see the trademark red hat at this young age. Everyone's favorite hero was riding Yoshi and adventuring from his youngest days, and even as a baby, it's clear that Mario had quite the nose.
: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
: Yoshi's Island DS
- Paper Mario
- A legendary hero whose adventure unfolds when he sets out to rescue Princess Peach from the nefarious clutches of Count Bleck. He has the ability to flip the world from 2-D to 3-D and back again. If he grabs a Mega Star, he'll transform into a pixelated giant Mario. In this state, he's invulnerable and capable of stomping through enemies and obstacles with ease.
- A legendary hero whose adventure unfolds when he sets out to rescue Princess Peach from the nefarious clutches of Count Bleck. He has the ability to flip the world from 2D to 3D and back again. If he grabs a Mega Star, he'll transform into a pixelated giant Mario. In this state, he's invulnerable and capable of stomping through enemies and obstacles with ease.
: Super Paper Mario
Stickers[edit]
| Name | Game | Effect | Fighter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby Mario | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island |  Attack +5
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| Bubble Baby Mario | Yoshi's Island |  Attack +6
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| Mario & Luigi | Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga | Resistance +19
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| Mario & Yoshi | Super Mario Sunshine |  Attack +13
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| Mario | Mario Kart DS |  Attack +22
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| Mario | Super Mario Baseball | Carry Home-Run Bat |
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| Mario | Super Paper Mario |  Attack +20
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| Raccoon Mario | Super Mario Bros. 3 |  +112
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| Super Mario Bros. | Super Mario Bros. |  Attack +15
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.png) Baby Mario (Yoshi's Island) |
.png) Bubble Baby Mario (Yoshi's Island) |
.png) Mario & Luigi (Mario & Luigi: SS) |
.png) Mario & Yoshi (Super Mario Sunshine) |
.png) Mario (Mario Kart DS) |
.png) Mario (Mario Superstar Baseball) |
.png) Mario (Super Paper Mario) |
.png) Raccoon Mario (Super Mario Bros. 3) |
 Super Mario Bros. |
In Super Smash Bros. 4[edit]
As a playable character[edit]
Mario appears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4, with his return being announced on June 11th, 2013 during the E3 2013 Nintendo Direct.