Super Smash Bros. Fighters - Super Mario series - 01 Mario
Debut
In the Super Mario series: Donkey Kong (1981)
In the Super Smash Bros series: Super Smash Bros. 64 (1999)
Boxing Ring Title: Mr. Video Game Himself
Theme Song: Super Mario Bros. Medley
The
Mascot of Nintendo, the well-known hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, and a swell plumber... This man could be none other than Mario! Mario defends the kingdom, its inhabitants, and the lovely Princess Peach from Bowser and his nefarious forces. It doesn't stop there, as Mario is also willing to help various
other kingdoms and locations he comes across as well, such as rescuing Princess Daisy of Sarasaland, or helping to restore power to Rosalina's Comet Observatory. Mario isn't alone on these quests, as he sometimes receives some assistance from others, such as from his younger twin brother Luigi, the friendly dinosaur Yoshi, or the energetic - if a bit cowardly - Toad.
Before Mario became the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, he started out as a humble carpenter in his debut:
Donkey Kong. One day, Mario's pet gorilla, Donkey Kong, escaped from his cage and kidnapped Mario's (
at the time) girlfriend, Pauline. Donkey Kong would then climb up a building, with Mario pursuing after him. Once they reached the very top, Mario would defeat Donkey Kong and rescue Pauline.
In the sequel,
Donkey Kong Jr., Mario has locked up Donkey Kong in a cage as punishment for what happened in the last game. DK's son, Donkey Kong Jr., learns of this and rushes off to save his papa! Mario tries to stop Donkey Kong Jr. using various traps and enemies, but the little ape manages to get by them, forcing Mario to flee with DK before Donkey Kong Jr. can free him. Ultimately, at the very top of a building, Mario fails at stopping Donkey Kong Jr. and the two primates run away. Mario does try to chase after them, only to get kicked away by Donkey Kong. This game is the only time where Mario plays the villain role.
Sometime after that, Mario would change professions and become a plumber. That leads us into
Mario Bros.! In the city of New York, various Shellcreepers, Sidesteppers, and Fighter Flies have invaded the sewers! Mario - as well as his little twin brother Luigi, who makes his debut here - are tasked with clearing them out. Every time Mario and Luigi defeat a foe, they are awarded with a coin from one of the pipes above the stage!
Mario would later star in
Wrecking Crew, where he would briefly change professions and become a demolition worker. Mario and Luigi work under Foreman Spike, and are tasked to destroy buildings, all while enemies try and get in the brothers way. Foreman Spike would also try to disrupt the brothers in the stages now and then, and would always show up in the Bonus Stages to try and steal the coin that is hidden behind a one of the many breakable walls.
Super Mario Bros. would be the first game that would setup the familiar setting of Mario's World, which has continued to this day. In the peaceful land of the Mushroom Kingdom, the evil Bowser and his Koopa Troop invade, kidnapping Princess Peach and turning the various citizens into bricks by using his magic. Mario and Luigi catch wind of this and journey off to rescue Peach, as she's the only one who can undo Bowser's magic! At the game's eighth castle, Mario and Luigi would manage to defeat Bowser and save Princess Peach!
Although some of the game's story elements have been dropped over the years - such as Bowser turning the Toads into bricks, or Peach using magic to undo Bowser's magic - other elements would be expanded upon in future titles.
As you would expect, the game would get a sequel titled
Super Mario Bros. 2. In Japan, this game was essentially a more challenging version of the original
Super Mario Bros., with the 2-player option removed. In its place, the game would allow players to play as either Mario or Luigi. Mario controlled just like he did in the prequel, making him the easier option. The game would eventually reach American shores in
Super Mario All-Stars, under the name
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.
As Nintendo of America thought
Japan's
Super Mario Bros. 2 would be too difficult, they took another game titled
Doki Doki Panic and reskinned it into
Super Mario Bros. 2. In this game, Mario has a weird dream where he arrives at Subcon: land of dreams. The people living there beg Mario to save them from the tyranny of King Wart. Later on, Mario would discuss his dream with Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad, learning they've been having the same dream! As they arrive near the spot they were gonna have a picnic, Mario spots a nearby cave, which had a long row of stairs inside heading upwards. At the top lead to... Subcon?! Realizing it wasn't a dream, Mario and his friends head off to save the people from Wart!
At the game's end, Mario and his friend would triumph over Wart! .. only for the ending to reveal it was all simply a dream Mario had. But since Subcon is the land of dreams, perhaps it wasn't a dream after all...
Super Mario Bros. 2 began the trend of Mario being the "the all-around" character. He may not jump as high as Luigi, float in the air like Peach, or have surprising strength like Toad, but he didn't have any of their weaknesses, allowing him to be able to tackle any challenge he faces. The game is also quite different from other installments in the series, as Mario couldn't defeat foes by simply stomping them from above. Instead, he would have to jump on top of them, where he could then pick them up and hurl them at nearby enemies. In other cases, he would have to find something else to pick up and throw at the enemies, such as using Birdo's own eggs against her. The game would later be released in Japan as Super Mario USA.
Super Mario Bros. 3 would firmly establish the basic elements most people have come to expect from the Super Mario series. Here, Bowser has returned from his brief hiatus, and has allowed his seven kids - referred to as the Koopalings - to conquer the seven kingdoms located at the Mushroom World! The Koopalings have each stolen a magic wand from each country's king, and turned them into animals. Upon learning of this from Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi race off to free the seven kingdoms!
Each time they save a kingdom from a Koopaling's tyranny and restored the land's King back to his normal self, Peach would send them a letter that contained helpful info and an item. However, after freeing the seventh kingdom, they receive a letter from Bowser, who reveals this was all a ploy so that he could go and kidnap Princess Peach! Mario and Luigi head to Dark Land, where they manage to defeat Bowser and save the Princess!
In
Super Mario World, Mario, Luigi, and Peach decide to take a vacation at Yoshi's Island to recuperate. Upon arriving, Mario and Luigi would go exploring by themselves. When they returned to where Peach was, they found out that she was missing. As they go looking for her, they come across a giant egg in a nearby forest. From it emerges a green dinosaur named Yoshi, who informs them that he was trying to save his friends from an evil turtle named Bowser, only to get trapped inside of an egg instead. Realizing Bowser must be responsible for Peach's disappearance, Mario and Luigi head off with their new friend Yoshi to not only rescue Peach, but also Yoshi's friends, who were being held captive by the Koopalings!
At the story's end, Mario and Luigi would manage to save Yoshi's buddies, after which they would enter Bowser's Castle to confront Bowser, who was riding inside his new Koopa Clown Car! Despite this new gizmo, Mario and Luigi would defeat the giant Koopa by throwing the Mechakoopas Bowser tossed right back at him, allowing them to save Peach! Afterwards, they would head back to Yoshi's house, where Yoshi's friends would break free from their egg prisons.
Super Mario Land not only marks the first time Mario would adventure on a handheld system, it's also the first time Mario would save a different kingdom! Mario learns that an evil alien named Tatanga has managed to conquer the four kingdoms of Sarasaland through hypnosis, and has captured Sarasaland's princess, Daisy! Thus, he heads off to rescue her and free the hypnotized civilians! Mario would make his way through the Birabuto, Muda, Easton and Chai kingdoms before taking off into the skies to confront Tatanga! Emerging victorious, Mario would escort Daisy back home in a nearby spaceship.
Notably, the game would portray Daisy as another love interest for Mario. While this aspect would be explored in some manga - such as the early issues of Super Mario-kun/Super Mario Manga Mania and KC Mario - this potential romance was dropped in the games by NES Open Tournament Golf, with Daisy expressing interest in Mario's brother Luigi instead.
The game would get a followup titled
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. After saving Daisy, Mario heads to Mario Land to rest a spell, only to learn that an old rival of his named Wario has not only took over his castle during his previous adventure, but also hypnotized the island's inhabitants into serving him with a magic spell! In order to reclaim his castle, Mario would have to reclaim all six of the Golden Coins from Wario's guards so that he could challenge his bizarre lookalike!
At the end of the game, Mario would confront Wario, who proceeded to use the same powers and abilities Mario was capable of! Despite this, Mario would manage to overcome him and reclaim his castle, restoring its appearance back to normal and freeing everyone from their hypnosis!
After that, Mario's sidescrolling adventures would come to an end... until they were revived 13 years later with
New Super Mario Bros. series, starting with
New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS! The game would prove a success, and would be followed with future installments. One such example would be
New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which introduced 4-player co-operation for the first time, having Yellow Toad and Bluw Toad tag along with the Mario Bros.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe would replace Blue Toad with Toadette.
Mario would take his first step into 3D in
Super Mario 64! Mario heads off to Peach's castle after receiving a letter from Peach, who invited him over for cake, only to learn that Bowser has taken over the castle! Not only that, but he has managed to steal some of the castle's Power Stars, giving them to his various minions who are hiding inside the castle's paintings. To save the day, Mario needs to obtain at least 70 of the 120 Power Star to confront Bowser and save the princess!
At the game's conclusion, Mario would manage to defeat Bowser, and Peach would emerge from the glass painting at the front of the castle. She would thank Mario, then declare that she and her two Toads would make a cake to celebrate his victory.
The game would also receive a remake titled
Super Mario 64 DS. The story is about the same, except for three things: the first is that Luigi, Yoshi, and even Wario tag along for the adventure! Second is that there are now 150 Power Stars to collect. The final one is that at the beginning of the game, Mario, Luigi, and Wario end up getting kidnapped shortly after learning about Bowser's takeover of the castle, leaving it up to Yoshi to save them!
The key to Mario's room is being held by Goomboss, who's hiding inside a Mario painting that requires Yoshi to obtain at least 8 stars to access. Once Yoshi triumphs over him, Mario is freed and joins Yoshi's quest! Once the duo obtains 15 Power Stars, Mario heads to Big Boo's Haunt, where after obtaining the 16th Power Star, he finds Luigi's painting up in the mansions attic and jumps inside. Navigating the confusing labyrinth, Mario makes his way to King Boo, who's holding Luigi's key. Once Mario beats the spooky specter, Luigi is rescued! Once Luigi saves Wario, the four would manage to reclaim all 150 Power Stars and save Peach!
In
Super Mario Sunshine, Mario, Peach, Toadsworth, Toad and his group head to Isle Delfino for a vacation, only for the citizens of the island to arrest Mario, stating that he not only has spread graffiti all over the island, but also stolen all 120 of the islands Shine Sprites! Turns out an imposter calling himself Shadow Mario is to blame for this! Armed with a device called F.L.U.D.D. (
which stands for Flash Liquid Ultra Dousing Device) which was built by the E. Gadd Corporation, Mario heads off to clean up the island, collect the Shine Sprites, and stop his imposter to clear his name!
At some point, Shadow Mario kidnaps Princess Peach, dragging her off to Pinna Park to hide inside a Mecha Bowser. Once Mario and F.L.U.D.D. defeat it, Shadow Mario reveals himself to be Bowser Jr., who pulled all of this off to "rescue" his "mama" from Mario Bowser Jr. then flees with Peach to the top of Corona Mountain.
Once Mario triumphs over Bowser Jr./Shadow Mario in every world's seventh level, Mario heads off to Corona Mountain, where he faces off against Bowser and saves Peach, though at the cost of F.LU.D.D. malfunctioning and powering down. Luckily, Toad and his friends are able to repair him, and Mario enjoys his vacation!
In
Super Mario Galaxy, the Mushroom Kingdom is celebrating the Star Festival, which is held once every one-hundred years. Peach invites Mario over to her castle to celebrate, as she wants to show him the Luma she found. However, Bowser and his army arrive, where he uses a giant UFO to scoop Peach's Castle up into space! Bowser is planning on creating a NEW Galaxy where he rules over everyone! Mario tries to save Peach, but ends up getting knocked off to a small nearby planet.
Waking up from his coma, he comes across a woman named Rosalina, who informs him that Bowser has stolen all 113 of her Power Stars, as well as 7 of her Grand Stars, from her Comet Observatory. In exchange for helping her reclaim them, she'll help Mario get to the center of the universe where Bowser resides. She then gives Mario a Baby Luma - the very same that Peach found earlier - to help him in his quest. As Mario and Baby Luma slowly retrieves the Power Stars, he receives additional help from Captain Toad and his Brigade, as well as his little brother Luigi.
At the end of the game, Mario defeats Bowser in the center of the sun Bowser made and retrieves the final Grand Star! With Peach, he prepares to escort her back to Rosalina's Comet Observatory. However, without the Grand Star to power it, Bowser's Sun implodes in on itself and becomes a black hole! In order to stop it, all of the Lumas fly to the center of it... including Baby Luma, who bids Mario farewell. Luckily the Lumas are successful, though at the cost of recreating the entire galaxy, which Mario and Rosalina bare witness to before Mario passes out. Once Mario wakes up in a grassy field near Peach and Bowser, Mario welcomes the new galaxy!
Afterwards, once the player completes the Super Luigi Galaxy game mode, Mario is able to embark on a small challenge to collect the 121st Power Star, located in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Super Mario 3D Land would got witha different gameplay style compared to previous entries. Instead of collecting a certain number of Power Stars, the game involves Mario traveling from Point A to Point B, kind of like the 2D Sidescrolling games, but with a 3D twist. One day in the Mushroom Kingdom, the famed Tail Tree - which is responsible for creating the Super Leaf - had all of its leaves blown off. When Mario and three Toads arrive, they spot a letter, finding out Bowser did this! Not only that, he also nabbed Princess Peach! Thus, Mario heads off to save her!
At World 8, Mario reaches Bowser's Castle, and defeats the giant turtle-dragon! When Mario approaches Peach, he finds out "she" is nothing more than a cardboard cutout! Bowser takes advantage of the Mario falling for this to escape with the real Peach, with Mario pursuing after them to Bowser's Second Castle! The heroic plumber enters a lengthy battle against Bowser, but eventually prevails! With Peach now saved, Mario, Peach, and the three Toads who happened to get here use the nearby Super Leaves to turn into Raccoons, after which they then fly back to Peach's Castle.
A bit later, Mario learns that Luigi has been captured by Dry Bowser! Mario manages to save Luigi in Special World 1's castle, after which they continue to explore this new region together. Once they make it to the end of Special World 8, they learn that Bowser has kidnapped Peach again! Hurrying back to Bowser's Castle, the Mario Bros. emerge victorious and peace is restored!
Super Mario 3D World expands upon
3D Land's gameplay by not only making it bigger, but also allowing four players to play together! One night, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad are out for a walk enjoying the nearby fireworks, when they suddenly stumble across a broken warp pipe. Mario and Luigi repair it, after which a green fairy called a Sprixie emerges from it. She tells the four that Bowser has arrived in her world and has captured six other Sprixie Princesses! Just as she begs the heroes to save them, Bowser emerges from the pipe as well and snags her in a bottle! The four then head off into the Sprixie Kingdom, and begin their quest to save the Sprixies!
After those two 3D Outings,
Super Mario Odyssey would go back to the previous style of collecting stuff to advance, this time Mario collects objects called Power Moons. The adventure begins with Mario and Bowser already engaged in a battle, as Bowser plans to marry Peach in a forced marriage! Mario not only fails to stop Bowser from kidnapping Peach, but also has his hat torn to shreds! Mario then lies unconscious at Bonneton, where a friendly individual named Cappy finds him. Mario learns from Cappy that Bowser has kidnapped his sister Tiara, who Bowser is planning to use as Peach's wedding tiara. Mario and Cappy agree to team up to save the ones they love!
In the
Luigi's Mansion series, Mario ends up taking a backseat to his little brother, Luigi. In the first game, Mario is told by Luigi that he won a mansion in a contest he doesn't recall entering. Mario decides to go check it out first, where he gets ambushed by King Boo and his ghostly crew! Mario ends up getting sealed inside of a painting, where he's then hung on a wall in King Boo's private chambers. Way later in the adventure, Luigi arrives after taking care of all of the ghosts, and battles King Boo, who's hiding inside a Bowser Suit. Emerging victorious, Luigi grabs Mario's painting, and uses Professor E. Gadd's Ghost Portrificationizer to get Mario out of there.
Following that, King Boo would proceed to constantly kidnap Mario in hopes of getting his revenge on Luigi in future installments.
That wouldn't be the only time Mario would be held hostage.
Super Princess Peach also has Mario - as well as Luigi, Toad, and a bunch of other Toads - getting captured by Bowser's Koopa Troop, who used a magical item called the Vibe Scepter to turn everyone into an emotional mess! The Koopa Troop intended to nab Peach, but since she was unknowingly out on a walk with Toadsworth, they figured Mario and friends would do. Mario is then held prisoner at Bowser's Castle, where he awaits rescue. Once Peach manages to defeat Bowser, Mario is saved, and the group journey home.
Of course, Mario's adventures aren't limited to just platformers. He's also dabbled in other genres, like puzzle-platformers! In
Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Mario decides to run a new business called the "Mario Toy Company," where he sells Mini-Mario toys. One day, Donkey Kong breaks into his company to steal some of the toys, as he was unable to find one in the stores. Mario would chase him down, reclaiming the toys little by little as he dealt with DK.
At the end of the game, Mario is preparing to scold DK for all that he did, only to notice that the ape is crying in shame at all he's done. Feeling sorry for him, the plumber decides to cheer DK up instead by giving him a Mini-Mario toy. With DK now content, Mario and the Mini-Mario toys celebrate.
The game would get a sequel titled
Mario vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. Compared to the first game, this one would have you control the Mini-Mario toys instead of Mario, which future installments would follow. Former girlfriend - yet still close friend - Pauline comes to visit the Mario Toy Company to help Mario with the premier of his new Super Mini Mario World Theme Park. During the ceremony, Donkey Kong falls in love with Pauline and offers her a Mini-DK toy, only for her to choose Mario's Mini-Mario toy instead. Upset, Donkey Kong ends up kidnapping her! Mario then heads off to save her with the help of the Mini-Mario toys.
Mario's also taken a swing at the role-playing game genre. (or RPG for short.) Mario's first outing was in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, where Mario, Peach, Bowser, and two new characters named Mallow and Geno team up to stop a new threat trying to take over both the Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser's Kingdom: the Smithy Gang!
While the game would never get a followup, the Mario series would get two new series to continue the RPG trend: the Paper Mario series and the Mario & Luigi series!
The first game in the Paper Mario series, Paper Mario, sees Mario getting invited by Peach for a party she's holding. Bowser crashes the party, and Mario tries to stop him. However, Bowser pulls out the Star Rod, which allows him to defeat Mario and lift Peach's Castle into the sky. Mario, with the help of various partners he comes across - such as the knowledgeable Goombario and the explosive Bombette - must rescue the Star Spirits to save Peach and her castle!
Paper Mario's style of gameplay would be expanded upon in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, such as Mario's partners now having their own health bar. Super Paper Mario would also follow this to an extent, though its gameplay was more of a side-scroller than an RPG. Starting with Paper Mario: Sticker Star, the series would focus more on platforming and puzzle-solving, becoming more of an action-adventure game instead. While the idea of Mario having various partners to help him on his quest would be dropped, Mario would still have a helpful individual on his quest, such as Kersti, Huey in Paper Mario: Color Splash, and Olivia in Paper Mario: The Origami King.
The first game in the Mario & Luigi series, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, sees the evil witch, Cackletta, stealing Peach's voice so that she can awaken the powers of the Beanstar and take over the Beanbean Kingdom! Mario and Bowser - as well as a reluctant Luigi - decide to team up and head there on Bowser's Koopa Cruiser to reclaim Peach's voice. However, an encounter with Cackletta's minion Fawful causes the Koopa Cruiser to get severely damaged, crash-landing near Stardust Fields. Mario and Luigi end up getting separated from Bowser, forcing the two to go on a series of comedic events as they try to stop Cackletta, reclaim Peach's voice, and save the Beanbean Kingdom!
Future installments would build upon Superstar Saga's gameplay. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time would even have the Mario Bros. team up with their younger selves, giving the player four characters to control. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story would go back to having just Mario & Luigi, though Bowser would have his own playable segments. They would also be joined by a Star Sprite named Starlow, who would serve as Mario and Luigi's voice. The series would later have a crossover with Paper Mario in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, which also happened to be the first game to give the Paper Mario characters the white outline that has stuck with their series ever since.
Mario's also competed in various sports. The first sport he ever competed in was
Golf for the NES. Yes, it might be surprising to learn that the rather tall individual in that game is Mario. It wouldn't be until
Family Computer Golf: Japan Course - released in only in Japan - that Mario would actually look like Mario. Fans outside of Japan would have to wait for
NES Open Tournament Golf for that, though even it had its shares of weirdness, as the courses still took place in the real world.
Mario Golf 64 would implement some familiar Super Mario-like scenery, which would later get expanded upon in every installment going forwards, such as
Mario Golf: World Tour and
Mario Golf: Super Rush.
Mario Golf GBC would reveal that Mario's considered the best golf player in the world, with many hoping to challenge him on the greens one day. One golfer from the Links Club, Gene Yuss, has competed against Mario now and then, but was never able to beat him. Eventually, a new golfer from the Mario Club named Kid - or Sherry, Azalea, or Joe if you play as them - manages to become the first golfer to best Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom Tournament, with Mario taking his loss well.
Mario Golf: Advance Tour takes place five years later. Kid had retired from golf due to an injury, and instead trains four students - Neil, Ella, Buzz, and Helen - about golf before allowing the four to move into the Marion Club. Neil and Ella quickly rise through the ranks and are allowed to take part in the Mushroom Kingdom Singles and Doubles Cup. When Bowser ends up insulting Neil and Ella upon their arrival, Mario decides to defend them and almost gets into a fight with the Koopa King until Peach defuses the situation. In the game's Doubles Mode, Luigi serves as Mario's partner.
While the Japan-only Mobile Golf lacked a story mode, it did allow you to play as Mario and level up his already impressive skills. Mario starts at Level 59, which is the second-highest level out of all the playable characters. He's beaten only by his former-boss, Foreman Spike, who sits at Level 68.
The other most well-known sport Mario competes in is tennis, which began in
Mario's Tennis... for the Virtual Boy. Okay, not a great place to start. Thankfully,
Mario Tennis 64 for the Nintendo 64 would be a much better starting point. This game would also classify Mario as an all-around character, which future games would keep. Later installments would also include gimmicks to mix the game up a bit, such as Power Shots in
Mario Power Tennis, Chance Shots in
Mario Tennis Open, and Zone/Special Shots in
Mario Tennis Aces.
Just like with the Mario Golf series, Mario Tennis GBC reveals that Mario is considered the best Tennis Player in the world, with many hoping to play him on the court one day. Presumably, Tennis Empire champions Spike and Eldan have challenged him, but it can be assumed they weren't able to beat him. New Tennis Academy student Alex- or Nina if playing as her - would manage to win the Island Open Tournament and be allowed to compete against Mario, which he happily accepts. In Doubles Story Mode, Mario teams up with Peach to take on Alex and Harry/Nina and Kate.
Prior to the events of Mario Tennis: Power Tour, it can be presumed that Dweezil and Mynx from the Tennis Empire have challenged Mario, but just like Spike and Eldan, weren't able to beat him. At the beginning of the game, Mario, alongside his friends, would travel to the four tennis schools in disguise to teach them about Power Shots. New students Clay and Ace from the Tennis Academy would follow in Alex's footsteps and win the Island Open Tournament, after which Mario and Toadsworth personally escort the two to the Mushroom Kingdom to compete in their tournament. Just like in the last game Mario serves as the final boss in Singles Mode. In Doubles Mode, Mario and Peach end up losing to the unlikely team-up of Bowser and Waluigi, thus those two serve as the final challenge instead.
Mario's also been in several races in the Mario Kart series. He's had his first outing in Super Mario Kart for the SNES, and hasn't missed a single race since! In these games, Mario is classified as a middleweight driver. This means he's an all-around racer and perfect for someone who's just starting out! He can easily push around racers lighter than him, but those who are heavier can still push him around.
Mario also has a few race courses named after him, such as the Mario Raceway from Mario Kart 64, and the various Mario Circuits that have varying appearances and layouts.
When it comes to the Mario Party series, you can bet Mario will be there competing for fun and stars! While all of the characters have an equal chance of winning, some games tried to make Mario behave differently if you're facing him as an opponent, such as always prioritizing buying Golden Mushrooms in Mario Party 3. In another game, Mario Party 7 made Fireball Orbs an exclusive item that only he and his brother Luigi could use.
Mario's also made cameos and appearances in the his franchise's sub-series. In the Donkey Kong series, a statue of Mario can be seen in Cranky Kong's Video Game Heroes in
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Out of the three heroes, Mario is ranked first with a total of 39 DK Coins collected. If Diddy and Dixie manage to obtain all 40, then Mario is dethroned. Cranky Kong - who was the original Donkey Kong that Mario fought in the classic arcade game - also sometimes refers to Mario, though only vaguely.
A younger version of Mario - referred to as Baby Mario - tends to show up in the Yoshi series. In most of these games, such as
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the Yoshis work together to escort Baby Mario to his brother Baby Luigi, who has been captured by Kamek the Magikoopa.
In Yoshi's New Island, Mario himself makes an appearance, having traveled back in time to assist the Yoshis in their quest to not only save their island, but also escort Baby Mario to where Kamek is holding Baby Luigi hostage again. During this, Mario disguises himself as a Warp Pipe, and refers to himself as "Mr. Pipe."
In the Wario franchise, Mario makes his first and only appearance in the Wario Land series in
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. After learning that Peach's Statue was stolen by the notorious Captain Syrup, Mario hops in his plane to go look for it. After Wario defeats Syrup and finds the statue, Mario quickly snatches it from the greedy treasure hunter so that Wario wouldn't hold it for ransom himself, after which he leaves to return it to Peach.
While Mario doesn't appear in the WarioWare series
himself, he does make cameos in various microgames. His first appearance is in
WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$. In Wario's microgames, he pops up as an antagonist, such as in "Grow Wario, Grow!" where the player must help Wario collect the Super Mushroom before it reaches Mario. Starting with
WarioWare Twisted, Mario would be portrayed more positively, most notably in "Bury the Hatchet" where the player must help Wario grab Mario's hand so they can shake and... well, bury the hatchet.
Mario also tends to show up in 9-Volt's microgames as well, such as in "Donkey Kong" in WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$, "Super Mario Bros." in WarioWare Twisted, and "Super Mario Sunshine" in WarioWare: Smooth Moves.
Personality-wise, Mario's is mostly defined by being a brave, kindhearted, and fun-loving individual. He can also be a bit impulsive, as shown by the fact that he's willing to risk his life to save
his friends, family, strangers, and even - in the rare circumstance - his enemies from
various threats. Mario can also be quite competitive, and enjoys a good challenge. That being said, Mario is quite humble, best shown in the handheld versions of Mario Golf and Mario Tennis games where he never brags about being the best golf/tennis player. He's even congratulated the few players who've managed to best him!
That being said, there have been a few times where he's noticeably upset at losing. In
Mario Strikers Charged, if the opponent manages to score a goal, a scene of him that may play will show him getting angry, while another has him give a sad sigh before hanging his head in defeat.
When it comes to interactions with his little brother Luigi, Mario can be a bit overbearing at times, but cares deeply about him nonetheless. He also has a close relationship with Princess Peach, and it's occasionally implied the two are dating.
Besides that, Mario also has quite the fondness for food, mainly various
kind of pasta and noodles.
In Super Smash Bros., Mario is an all-around fighter. No real strengths or weaknesses, giving him equal standing to everyone.
Mario's
also one of the twelve members of the "Perfect Attendance Crew", as
well as acting as one of the "four faces" of the series; Link, Pikachu,
and Kirby being the other four.
Special Mov
Neutral Special: Fireball
Mario
shoots a Fireball out of his hand. Assuming Mario shot it on a flat
surface, it'll bounce 3 times on the ground, disappearing on the fourth
bounce. Not Mario's strongest move, but he can use it as he approaches
his opponent.
Inspired by the Fire
Flower power up that debuted in "Super Mario Bros.," which allowed Luigi
to shoot fireballs. There could only ever be two fireballs onscreen;
one
of them would have to either go offscreen, hit an enemy, or hit a wall
in order for Luigi to throw another one.
Side Special: Cape
Mario flings his cape out in front of him! Opponents that get hit get twirled around.
If Mario hits a projectile with his cape, it gets flung back at the offender at twice the power!
Somewhat
loosely inspired by the Cape Feather power up that debuted in "Super Mario World." Mario could use his cape to attack nearby enemies, as well
as slow his descent and even fly. It was not able to reflect projectiles back at the offender, though if a Blue Beach Koopa kicked a shell at Mario, using his cape would have it bounce backwards up into the air before landing on the ground at a standstill.
Up Special: Super Jump Punch Mario
jumps upward in a diagonal direction! Anyone he hits gets dragged up with him, all while releasing coins that don't really do anything.
They're mostly there for visual effects.
Sometimes when Mario performs the move, his buddy Cappy will have his
eyes appear on Mario's Cap. In addition, the coins that appear are the
purple Regional Coins from New Donk City.
The Metro Kingdom Coins sport the face of its Mayor, Pauline, on them.
Inspired by Mario's basic jumping move - mainly when he bashes coin blocks from underneath - in "Super Mario Bros."
Yellow
coins are collectibles that debuted in the arcade game, "Mario Bros."
Starting in "Super Mario Bros.," collecting 100 of them would grant the
player an extra life. In some games, such as the "Mario Party" series, coins can be used to purchase stuff.
Cappy
is an important character from "Super Mario Odyssey" that joins Mario
in his adventure to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. Cappy's main
reason for doing so is to rescue his sister, Tiara, who also got nabbed
by Bowser. In that game, Cappy's eyes would sometimes pop up on Mario's
hat when Mario is idling about.
Regional
Coins made their debut in "Super Mario Odyssey." They serve as
alternate collectibles in the game, and there tends to be either 50 or
100 of them in a given Kingdom. There are 13 different Regional Coins
for the 13 kingdoms Mario and Cappy visits, and can only be used in the
region they are collected in.
Down Special: F.L.U.D.D.
Mario starts charging up F.L.U.D.D. with water. Once F.L.U.D.D.'s all
charged up, using the move again will have Mario spray water from
F.L.U.D.D.'s nozzle. It doesn't damage opponents, but it does push them
away from him. You can also press the button at any point during the
charge sequence to have Mario immediately spray water. The longer you
charge F.L.U.D.D., the stronger the push will be!
Inspired
by F.L.U.D.D.'S default Water Nozzle move from "Super Mario
Sunshine," which allowed Mario to spray water in front of him at a certain distance. In addition to using it to wash away the goop and graffiti
spread over Isle Delfino, Mario could also use the Water Nozzle to solve
puzzles. Some enemies could even be defeated by
F.L.U.D.D., while others got pushed around.
Final Smash: Mario Finale
Mario fires two huge streams of flame in front of him. Everyone who gets
in its way gets caught and dragged away in the fiery inferno!
May be inspired by Mario's Ultra Flame ability in "Super Mario
RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars." Otherwise the move seems to be inspired
by Mario's pyrokinetic abilities, and is completely original to Super
Smash Bros.
Additional Notes
One of Mario's alternate costumes is Builder Mario from
Super Mario
Maker. Mario is seen in this outfit in many promotional material for the aforementioned game, and
it was also an unlockable Mystery Mushroom outfit that could be obtained
by clearing the "Gnat Attack" minigame for the first time.
Super Mario
Maker 2 makes it an unlockable powerup for the Super Mario 3D World-style theme. To get it, one must complete the game's Story Mode.
Another one of Mario's alternate costumes is Mario's Top Hat and Tuxedo -
aka, Wedding Mario - from
Super Mario Odyssey. In that game, Mario can obtain this
outfit upon reaching the Moon Kingdom, or by scanning the Wedding Mario amiibo.
Back in
Super Smash Bros. 64, Mario had a different Down Special called the Mario Tornado.
Basically, Mario twirls around with his arms outstretched, which will
suck in nearby opponents who will take various hits from him. Mario then stops twirling and quickly swings his arms outwards, sending the opponents flying away from him. Mario could also use
the move to try and gain some vertical distance, but only once per time
he's in the air. Starting in
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, F.L.U.D.D. was
replaced as Mario's new Down Special, but Mario still has the Mario
Tornado move, only now it's his Down-Aeriel attack! Mario can't use it
to try and rise in the air, though.
Mario Tornado is loosely inspired by the Spin Jump from "Super Mario World."
In that game, Mario could use the Spin Jump to defeat certain enemies in
one hit, or even safely "jump" on certain dangerous enemies. If Mario was in his Super form, he could use it to break yellow blocks from below. In "Super Mario Galaxy," one of Mario's moves is the Star Spin, which is somewhat similar to the Mario Tornado, even allowing Mario to slightly rise upwards if used in the air.
Mario's debut, Donkey Kong,
was originally intended to be a Popeye the Sailor Man game. However,
the deal ended up falling through, and thus Popeye was replaced with
Mario, Olive Oyl was replaced with Pauline, and Bluto with Donkey Kong.
Mario got his name from a man named Mario Segale. Mario Segale owned a
warehouse that Nintendo of America was renting at the time, and they
decided to name their mascot after him. Before this name was decided on,
Mario originally went under the name "Jumpman," a name that has been
referenced a few times throughout the series.
Mario was originally considered to lack a last name until an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto in 2015
confirmed that Mario's last name is "Mario", making him "Mario Mario." Before that, the idea that “Mario” is his last name was
also used in the cartoon series The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, as well
as the 1993 film Super Mario Bros. The Movie.
According to a calendar that was included in the second issue of Nintendo Power, Mario's birthday is October 11.
