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It’s-a me, Mario! | 
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| — Mario | ||
Mario, also known as Super Mario, Mr. Nintendo, and was originally called Mr. Video Game or Jumpman, is an Italian-American plumber, the longtime mascot of Nintendo, and the titular main character/protagonist of the highly successful Mario franchise. One of the most important and recognizable video game characters of all time like Link - the main protagonist of the equally critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda series, Mario made his grand debut in the 1981 arcade hit game Donkey Kong, but his first breakthrough title was Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System released four years later. He has a younger twin brother named Luigi, who packs similar skills as himself, and the duo's mission usually is to protect the Mushroom Kingdom from the Koopa Troop, specifically their archnemesis Bowser, and rescue Princess Peach from the villain's clutches. The iconic plumber in red is famously known for his powerful jumping ability (though surpassed by Luigi and Yoshi), distinctive voice and iconic catchphrases by Charles Martinet (though the voice actor is retired and replaced by Kevin Afghani in 2023) such as "Yahoo! or "Let's-a go!", many power-ups that aid him in his platform-based adventures such as the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, or Super Star, and even transformations like the extremely powerful Metal Mario form introduced in Super Mario 64. He is also a doctor, skilled driver, and has a baby counterpart. Mario has currently appeared in over 200 video games and has starred in two feature films in 1993 and 2023, respectively.
Because The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario franchises have many parallels between each other, Mario can be considered a mirror to Link in which both main protagonists' role in the majority of their mainline games have themselves protect a peaceful kingdom (Hyrule/Mushroom Kingdom, respectively) from a powerful and dangerous recurring antagonist whose longtime primary goal is to take over that kingdom (Ganon/Bowser, respectively) and usually but not always rescue a princess who is their love interest (Zelda/Peach, respectively), and the two are proficient fighters, although Link and Mario have completely different styles due to their series' setting being polar opposites. Another similarity between the heroic characters is they both have a pure heart.
Although Mario himself has never physically appeared in any core series game of the Zelda franchise, he does make a few cameos, and various characters in some titles resemble the plumber, likely as Easter Eggs. Link has also encountered references to the character in a few games as well, such as the Fire Gloves and so forth. The two heroes have technically met well before the original Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64, since the NES release of Tetris in 1989, but the spin-off series marks the first time where video game crossovers by Nintendo became official. Like Link, Mario has appeared in every installment as a middleweight-class mascot fighter, and in Brawl, they shared a protagonist role in Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary. In Mario Kart 8/Deluxe of the Mario Kart series, Link can compete against multiple mainline Mario characters including Mario himself in races.
Mainline appearances[]
A Link to the Past[]
The picture of Mario is just below the HUD
In A Link to the Past, certain houses in Kakariko Village such as the one where the Bug-Catching Kid can be met contains a portrait of Mario.
Ocarina of Time[]
The portraits of Mario (center) alongside other mainline Super Mario characters in Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time, inside the Hyrule Castle Courtyard where Link meets young Princess Zelda, the east window contains a portrait of Mario along with the likenesses of his brother Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi and Bowser, based on Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64. However, in the 3DS remake, this was removed and replaced with a scenery from New Super Mario Bros..
Majora's Mask[]
In Majora's Mask, one of the masks on the Happy Mask Salesman's backpack is of Mario's face.
References in The Legend of Zelda games[]
Link's Awakening[]
In Link's Awakening, alongside featuring many enemies from his home franchise, the character Tarin resembles Mario and even turns into a Racoon at one point, a homage to his iconic Raccoon Mario form in Super Mario Bros. 3.
Ocarina of Time[]
Talon sleeping like Mario
Talon in Ocarina of Time is based on Mario, though his physical build compared to Tarin from the previous Game Boy game is larger, making himself less similar. He wears the same blue overalls and red shirt as Mario, and the way he sleeps is identical to how the plumber sleeps in Super Mario 64. Talon, alongside his daughter Malon, wear brooches based on his archenemy Bowser. A later artwork of Oracle of Seasons even has Talon wearing a hat with Mario's "M" logo on it. Coincidentally, he also strongly resembles Mario's father seen in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Ingo to a small extent has physical similarities to Mario, as he is based on his twin brother Luigi.
Majora's Mask[]
As Mr. Barten in Majora's Mask, the Terminan counterpart of Talon, reuses his model, he resembles Mario.
Oracle of Ages[]
In Oracle of Ages, alongside a reappearance of Thwomps and Talon, when Vire kidnaps Princess Zelda to the Black Tower, a recreation of the Donkey Kong arcade game occurs. Link plays Mario's role while Zelda appears as Pauline and Vire as Donkey Kong.
A Link Between Worlds[]
The Mario-like Milk Bar Owner from Hyrule in A Link Between Worlds
In A Link Between Worlds, like the N64 games, the Milk Bar Owner in Hyrule strongly resembles Talon and therefore, Mario. Ironically, his Lorule counterpart resembles Ingo, and therefore Luigi, instead.
Tri Force Heroes[]
In Tri Force Heroes, alongside the Hammerwear Outfit being a reference to his home franchise, the Fire Gloves item has the Links shoot fireballs, in homage to his Fire Mario form in Super Mario Bros., and even has the same sound effect.
Crossover appearances[]
Super Smash Bros. series[]
Mario, as he appears for Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Like fellow protagonist Link, Mario has appeared throughout the Super Smash Bros. series since its beginning as one of its recurring playable fighters, appearing in Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Throughout the series, most of his alternate costumes are simply color swaps on his ordinary clothes. In Ultimate, he gains two extra costumes based on Builder Mario from Super Mario Maker and Mario's wedding clothes from Super Mario Odyssey. Mario's hat was also available as headgear for Mii Fighters in the latter two games.
Abilities[]
Mario is generally shown to be a balanced, all-around fighter. Some of the games also feature his doctor alias Dr. Mario, whose moves are generally a slower version of Mario's, but with some of the moves altered to be medical-themed. Mario's special moves throughout the series are as follows:
- Standard Special Move - Fireball: Mario shoots out fireballs which bounce along the ground. Dr. Mario instead fires Megavitamins.
- Side Special Move - Cape: Mario whirls his cape from Super Mario World. This move can be used to deflect projectiles and toss off enemy attacks. Dr. Mario instead uses a medical sheet. This move is introduced in Melee.
- Up Special Move - Super Jump Punch: With this move, Mario will unleash an extra jump into the air as in the classic 2-D games with his fist-upraised. This can cause extra damage to enemies above and causes coins to drop from the enemy as an added effect.
- Down Special Move (1) - Mario Tornado: Mario's original down special move, the Mario Tornado causes Mario to spin his arms around in a circle. In Brawl, this becomes one of his normal moves instead. For Dr. Mario, it remains a special move in his reappearance.
- Down Special Move (2) - F.L.U.D.D.: Introduced in Brawl. When this move is used, FLUDD appears on Mario's back and will blast a jet of water after being charged. This move actually does no damage but can push enemies away and even off of ledges.
- Final Smash - Mario Finale: When Mario's Final Smash is activated, he temporarily unleashes a powerful barrage of fireballs that launch in various directions and angles, blowing most enemies away. Dr. Mario's equivalent since Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U is the Doctor Finale, in which he launches a giant Megavitamin.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
Subspace Emissary[]
In Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary, Mario first appears in the opening, where he engages Kirby in an exhibition match in a floating stadium while Princess Peach and Princess Zelda watch. Afterward, the stadium was attacked by the Subspace Army, and Mario was hit by a cannonball that sent him flying to Skyworld and reverted him to trophy form. He was discovered and revived by Pit, and the two were together to fight through various Subspace minions. After returning to land and failing in their pursuit of the Ancient Minister, a misunderstanding arose after Mario witnessed Link and Yoshi's defeat of a possessed Peach, or Link witnessed Mario and Pit's defeat of a possessed Zelda, which led Mario and Link to battle each other due to thinking the other had killed his princess.
Following the battle, they realized the misunderstanding and teamed up to pursue King Dedede, who had one of the princesses as well as several other trophies. They were joined by Kirby, and the five continued their chase but ultimately Bowser escaped with the princess. They then tried to capture the Ancient Minister again, but they were forced to retreat after another Subspace Bomb activated. The five heroes then arrived to help Marth and several others fight off Subspace minions at the base of the Glacial Mountain, and there the main party united then traveled into Subspace for the final battles against Tabuu.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate campaigns[]
Adventure Mode: World of Light[]
In Adventure Mode: World of Light, Mario was seen in the opening cutscene, where he was among the forces assembled to confront Galeem and his Master Hand army. However, they were all wiped out by the beams of light that Galeem ended up firing, with Kirby being the only fighter to escape. Mario and the others were held captive by Galeem, who made puppet fighters of them and placed the original fighters under his control. Mario was found shortly after starting the game, and after defeating him in battle, he would be reawakened as his old self and join Kirby as a playable fighter. As for Dr. Mario, he could be found and awakened near the city area.
Classic Mode[]
In Classic Mode, Mario's personal Classic Mode route is called "Let's-a Go!". In the first five stages of this route, each stage is based around pitting Mario against a group of characters from the same series (excluding antagonists). This is followed by a battle with all of the Koopalings, with the boss of this route being Bowser followed by Giga Bowser. As for Dr. Mario, his personal Classic Mode route is "Colorful Treatment Plan". In each stage, he fights a group of three fighters who are color-coded to match the three Viruses. The last fighters faced before the boss stage are a group of Warios, in possible reference to the story of Dr. Mario 64, and it ends with a boss fight against Master Hand (and Crazy Hand on higher difficulties).
Trophies/Stickers/Spirits[]
- Mario and Dr. Mario each have three unlockable trophies in Melee, and trophies of Baby Mario, Metal Mario, Raccoon Mario and Paper Mario can also be obtained. In Japan, it was also possible to obtain an extra trophy of Mario with Yoshi.
- In Brawl, Mario has two main trophies - his normal trophy and one of his final smash - as well as additional trophies of Paper Mario and Baby Mario. He also has ten different stickers which use art of him from Mario Kart DS, Mario Superstar Baseball, Super Paper Mario, with Luigi in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, with Yoshi in Super Mario Sunshine, two as Baby Mario in Yoshi's Island, one of Raccoon Mario from Super Mario Bros. 3, one of Dr. Mario from Nintendo Puzzle Collection and one special Super Mario Bros. image.
- In the 3DS/Wii U installment, Mario and Dr. Mario each have two standard unlockable trophies in both games, as well as an extra trophy for their respective Final Smashes in the Wii U game. The 3DS version also has trophies for Paper Mario, Tanooki Mario & Kitsune Luigi, Boomerang Mario, Statue Mario (from Super Mario 3D Land), Mario with a Propeller Box, Mario with a Gold Block, Mario from Mario Golf: World Tour, Mario with a Standard Kart and Baby Mario, while the Wii U version has trophies for Bee Mario, Boo Mario, Spring Mario, Rainbow Mario, Cloud Mario, Rock Mario, Flying Squirrel Mario, Cat Mario, Propeller Mario, Penguin Mario and Mario with a Standard Bike from Mario Kart Wii.
- In Ultimate, Mario and Dr. Mario each have a Fighter Spirit, and there are also Fighter Spirits for Mario's alternate costumes (Builder Mario and Wedding Mario). There are also Spirits of Baby Mario (which can be enhanced into a Spirit of Baby Mario's Superstar Mario form), Metal Mario, Paper Mario, Boo Mario, Rock Mario, Gold Mario and Mario from Mario Tennis Aces. He is also part of the art used for the Spirits of Papercraft Mario and the Monster from Famicom Grand Prix II.
Trivia[]
- Like Link, Mario, as one of the first ever protagonists in video game history, is widely considered by critics and fans alike as one of the greatest or most iconic characters of all time. He is even ranked as the most popular of all time, surpassing Pac-Man.
- Ironically, Pac-Man is actually Shigeru Miyamoto's favorite video game character - even above his own creations such as Mario, Donkey Kong, and Link.
- Mario's original name when he was created by Miyamoto during the development of Donkey Kong was actually "Ossan" (which is Japanese for "middle-aged man"), then it was changed to "Mr. Video Game" and finally "Jumpman". His accepted Italian name came shortly after in the game's direct sequel Donkey Kong Jr. released in 1982, was based on Nintendo of America's landlord at the time, Mario Segale.
- Although he was supposedly middle-aged during his earliest appearances, the Japanese version of Super Smash Bros. Melee listed Mario's official age as 26, before it was later changed to 24 or 25.
- Despite Mario is famously known as a plumber, this was not his original role, as during his appearances prior to Mario Bros., he was a carpenter.
- Though Mario is normally a cheerful, kind character, he is also known to have a short temper. Similar to Link, some official artwork of Mario depicted him with a serious expression.
- Much like Link, Mario is designed to be a "silent protagonist", and therefore, he rarely talks in most 3D games. However, some media has himself speaking in full sentences.
- Although Bowser is well-known as Mario's longtime primary villain, the Koopa King is not the plumber's first ever nemesis. The Donkey Kong arcade game in 1981 had its titular antagonist being Donkey Kong, in which the powerful ape's role would last until 1994 by the release of Donkey Kong Country where he is reformed into a heroic character (despite few media still reprise his former antagonistic role).
- Ironically, Mario himself was a villain, once. In Donkey Kong Jr., as revenge for the ape kidnapping his then-girlfriend Pauline, he locks up DK in a cage, where he stops his son Donkey Kong Jr. from reaching his father.
Mario's well known banned by Shigeru Miyamoto beginning in the GameCube era
- During the NES era, Nintendo was extremely successful due to the Mario and Zelda series, but when its critically acclaimed successor, the Super NES, was released in 1991, the company had a sudden fierce rivalry with Sega, by introducing the Sonic the Hedgehog character via the game of the same name on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. This has resulted in an intense competition, particularly in North America, with the mascots and their respective consoles throughout the decade until the release of the GameCube in 2001, with Nintendo ultimately surpassing Sega in sales (but not Sony). Currently, the former enemies are now friends and even shared crossovers in the Super Smash Bros. series starting in Brawl as well as the Mario & Sonic series.
- Mario's iconic V sign (commonly called "peace sign" in the Western world) that was seen in early Mario games supposedly had its final usage in Super Mario 64, released in 1996 for the Nintendo 64. This was a result from Miyamoto wanting to redesign Mario and his brother Luigi to "be a bit more grown-up" in the GameCube era, as it was described as too "cute" and Takashi Tezuka himself created the pose due to the fact the he loved cute things. Despite this, it occasionally still appears in spin-off games and would make a return in a mainline title on Super Mario Odyssey for the Nintendo Switch in 2017, 21 years later (although the pose is very rarely displayed in-game).
- Similar to Link's appearance in SoulCalibur II, Mario, along with Luigi and Princess Peach are featured as guest stars in two non-Nintendo games for the GameCube, exclusively for the console's port. They are the Electronic Arts titles NBA Street V3 and SSX on Tour, and both were released two years after the Namco fighting game (2005).
Gallery[]
Super Smash Bros. series[]
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Super Smash Bros. artwork -
Super Smash Bros. Melee artwork -
Super Smash Bros. Brawl artwork -
Mario franchise[]
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Mario's debut artwork from the Donkey Kong arcade
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Mario as he appears in the Donkey Kong arcade
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Mario as he appeared in the Mario Bros. arcade
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Super Mario Bros. artwork
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Mario as he appeared in Super Mario Bros.
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Mario in Super Mario Bros. (SNES version)
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Super Mario Bros. 2 artwork
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Mario as he appeared in Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES version)
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Mario in Super Mario Bros. 2 (SNES version)
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Super Mario Bros. 3 artwork, as Raccoon Mario
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Mario as he appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES version)
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Mario in Super Mario Bros. 3 (SNES version)
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Super Mario World artwork, as Cape Mario
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Mario as he appeared in Super Mario World
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Mario encountering Link as a cameo in Super Mario RPG
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Super Mario 64 artwork
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Super Mario 64 artwork as Wing Mario, which was used for the Ocarina of Time picture cameo
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A sleepy Mario from Super Mario 64, which the character Talon would reference as he sleeps
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Super Mario 64 artwork of Mario about to throw his archnemesis Bowser
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Mario's powerful Metal form as seen in Super Mario 64
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Mario as he appeared in Super Mario 64
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Artwork of Mario from Mario Kart 64
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Mario as he appeared in the early Mario Party games
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Super Mario Sunshine artwork
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Mario as he appeared in Super Mario Sunshine
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Mario in the Super Mario Galaxy games
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Mario attempting to stop Donkey Kong from kidnapping Pauline
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Modern artwork of Mario
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Mario as he appears in Super Mario Bros. Wonder
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Mario at a very young age, as Baby Mario
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Mario as he appears in The Super Mario Bros. Movie
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Classic Mario emblem from the NES/SNES era
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An older artwork of Mario playing the Game Boy
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Mario with Link in an old French Nintendo magazine
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Nintendo Power ad of The Adventure of Link featuring Mario and Luigi
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A classic artwork of Mario playing the NES with Luigi, specifically the Dr. Mario game
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Mario as he appears in the Game Boy, specifically his cameo in F1 Race
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A Link to the Past concept artwork of Mario's size in comparison to various other mainline Mario and Zelda series characters
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Nintendo Power cover featuring Link and Mario
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Promotional artwork of Mario Kart 64 featuring most of the cast riding N64 controllers as spaceships
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"Oooooh, noooooo!" (Mario Party 1 losing icon)
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Artwork of Mario, Luigi, and Peach's guest appearances in SSX on Tour
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Nintendo Power NBA Street V3 poster, featuring Mario going for a slam dunk
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Artwork of Mario and Princess Peach in their guest appearance from NBA Street V3
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Mario as seen in NBA Street V3
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Mario shaking hands with his infamous rival, Sonic the Hedgehog
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Mario and Sonic running together
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Mario attacked by Sheik in Super Smash Bros. Melee
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Mario fighting against Link in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
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Mario with Pit preparing to battle Yoshi and Link in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
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Mario defeated by Link and Yoshi in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
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Bowser attempting to defend against Mario using the Princess Zelda trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
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Mario being struck down by Young Link's Triforce Slash in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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Mario as Dr. Mario (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)
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Mario and Link in Mario Kart 8
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Mario and Link performing a trick together in Mario Kart 8
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Modern Mario emblem as seen in Mario Kart 8
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Mario being beaten by Luigi while playing the Nintendo Switch
Further reading[]
Wikipedia and Fandom[]
Other associates[]
- Mario on the SSB Universes Wiki
Disclaimer[]
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This page uses content from the Gamehiker Wiki, which has gone offline permanently since April 2025. The original link and title was Mario, and its page history was here. As with Zelda Wiki, the text of the Gamehiker Wiki remains usable under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. |
| Authors: 71.244.246.65, Masamune, Luiigii of the Pipes, GORE-ILLA, 70.157.70.140, Wanderingshadow, Mat rix 007, Sir Grodus, and Luigi00001 | |
| The page history is preserved here. | |