The ''Mario'' franchise is a

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...

created by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

. Nintendo is usually the developer and publisher of the franchise's games, but various games are developed by third-party companies such as

Intelligent Systems is a Japanese video game developer best known for developing games published by Nintendo with the ''Fire Emblem'', ''Paper Mario'', ''Wario_(series)#WarioWare_series, WarioWare'', and ''Wars (series), Wars'' video game series. The company was ...

and Nintendo Cube. Games in the ''Mario'' franchise primarily revolve around the main protagonist

Mario Mario (; ) is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Ja ...

and often involve the trope of

Bowser , also known as King Bowser or King Koopa, is a Character (arts), fictional character and the Antagonist, main antagonist of Nintendo's ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise."The Top 100 Videogame Villains". IGN. Retrieved October 8, 2010. ...

as the main antagonist kidnapping

Princess Peach is a character in Nintendo's Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and introduced in the 1985 original ''Super Mario Bros.'' game as Princess Toadstool. She is the Queen regnant, princess regnant and hea ...

, with Mario then rescuing her. Many characters have goals or plot arcs that vary between series; for example, the ''

Luigi's Mansion is a 2001 action-adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo. The game was a launch title for the GameCube and was the first game in the ''Mario'' franchise to be released for the console; it was released in Japan on September 14, ...

'' games focus on

Luigi Luigi (; ) is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Part of Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, he is a kind-hearted, cowardly Italian plumber, and the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario. Like ...

ridding a haunted building of ghost-like creatures known as Boos, and

Wario is a character in Nintendo's Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise that was designed as an Archenemy, archnemesis to Mario. Wario first appeared as the main antagonist and final Boss (video games), boss in the 1992 Game Boy game ''Super Mar ...

stars in

games A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...

that center around his greed and desire for money and treasure. The franchise began with ''

Donkey Kong is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo. It follows the adventures of Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong, a large, powerful gorilla, and other members of the List of Don ...

'' in 1981, where

, and Pauline originated. Japanese video game designer

Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, video game producer, producer and Creative director#Video games, game director at Nintendo, where he has served as one of its representative directors as an executive since 2002. Widely regarded as one o ...

built them off the base of characters from ''

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.license A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

the characters, Miyamoto made later changes to their appearances and personalities, such as a more lighthearted tone. Due to the breakthrough critical and commercial success of ''Donkey Kong'', Mario reappeared in '' Mario Bros.'' in 1983, which introduced Mario's twin brother Luigi, and ''

Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 Platformer, platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is the successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series. It was origi ...

'' in 1985, which introduced

Toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

alongside numerous enemies, with Bowser and Princess Peach replacing Donkey Kong and Pauline, respectively. Each series has introduced numerous characters, many of them recurring. Some have starred in their own games or in supporting roles. The games all typically share common enemies.

Primary protagonists

Mario

(voiced by Kevin Afghani) is the main character of the ''

'' franchise and the mascot of

as a whole. He originally appeared in 1981's ''

'' as "Jumpman", designed by Shigeru Miyamoto. While Mario was initially a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...

, he later took the role of a

plumber A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) water, hot-water production, sewage and drainage in plumbing systems.

. From 1992 to 2023, Mario was voiced by

Charles Martinet Charles Andre Martinet (born September 17, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for voicing Mario in the ''Super Mario'' franchise, portraying him from 1991 to 2023. He also voiced other characters in the series such as Luigi, Wario, W ...

. In most of his appearances, Mario rescues a

damsel in distress The damsel in distress is a narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has been kidnapped or placed in other peril. The "damsel" is often portrayed as beautiful, popular, and of high social status; she is usually depicted ...

(often

) from an antagonist (often

). Mario's younger brother is

, and his greedy rival is

Yoshi Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Yoshi debuted in '' Super Mario World'' (1990) on the SNES as Mario and Luigi's sidekick. Throughout the mainline '' Super Mario'' series, Yoshi typically serves ...

serves as Mario's steed in several games, including ''

Super Mario World ''Super Mario World'', known in Japan as '' is a 1990 platform game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The player controls Mario on his quest to save Princess Peach and Dino ...

''. Since his introduction, Mario's abilities include jumping, such as onto an enemy's head as an attack. Mario uses

power-up In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a Game mechanics, game mechanic. This is in contrast to an Item (game), item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that ca ...

s, such as the Super Mushroom (which allows him to grow larger and survive an additional hit), the Super Star (which grants him temporary invincibility), and the Fire Flower (which allows him to throw

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

balls). Several power-ups grant Mario the ability to fly, such as the Super Leaf from '' Super Mario Bros. 3''. According to ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

'', Mario is the second most recognizable video game character after

Pac-Man ''Pac-Man,'' originally called in Japan, is a 1980 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. The pla ...

. Mario has seen numerous cultural appearances, such as during the closing ceremony of the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

, where Japanese prime minister

Shinzō Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving pri ...

appeared dressed as the character. Mario has appeared as the protagonist in two feature films: the live-action ''Super Mario Bros.'' in 1993 and the animated box office hit '' The Super Mario Bros. Movie'' in 2023. Mario was portrayed in 1993's ''Super Mario Bros.'' in live-action by the late

Bob Hoskins Robert William Hoskins (26 October 1942 – 29 April 2014) was an English actor and film director. Known for his intense but sensitive portrayals of "tough guy" characters, he began his career on stage before making his screen breakthrough pl ...

, and voiced by

Chris Pratt Christopher Michael Pratt (born June 21, 1979) is an American actor. His films as a leading actor have grossed over $14.1billion worldwide, making him the fifth-highest-grossing film star of all time. Pratt was named by ''Time'' as one of t ...

in 2023's ''The Super Mario Bros. Movie''.

Luigi

(voiced by Kevin Afghani) is the younger twin brother of

, who Luigi feels a sense of

envy Envy is an emotion which occurs when a person lacks another's quality, skill, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it. Envy can also refer to the wish for another person to lack something one already ...

and reverence towards. In the 1983 game '' Mario Bros.'', Luigi was introduced as the second

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional Character (arts), character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters tha ...

, with many similarities to Mario. While he was initially identical to Mario, he began developing differences in '' Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' (1986), which gave him a higher and further jump at the expense of responsiveness and precision. In the North American version of '' Super Mario Bros. 2'' (1988), Luigi was given a taller and thinner appearance than Mario, which played a key role in shaping his modern appearance. Luigi's first starring role was in 1993's '' Mario Is Missing!'', though he played only minor roles in subsequent games until 2001 with ''

'', where he plays the role of a frightened, unsure, and goofy protagonist attempting to save his brother. The Year of Luigi was celebrated in 2013, which saw many ''Luigi'' games released to commemorate the character's 30th anniversary. Luigi also appeared in the ''

Mario Kart is a series of kart racing games based on the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise developed and published by Nintendo. Players compete in go-kart races while using various power-up item (game terminology), items. It features Characters in ...

'' series, '' Super Smash Bros.'' series as an unlockable fighter, and the ''

Mario Party is a series of party video games created by Hudson Soft and owned by Nintendo. It features List of Mario franchise characters, characters from the Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise in which up to four local players or Artificial inte ...

'' series. He was portrayed in 1993's ''Super Mario Bros.'' in live-action by

John Leguizamo John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez (, ; ; born July 22, 1960 or 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and film producer. He has appeared in more than 100 films, produced more than 20 films and documentaries, made more than 30 televisio ...

, and voiced by Charlie Day in 2023's '' The Super Mario Bros. Movie''.

Princess Peach

(voiced by Samantha Kelly) is the

princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

of the ''

'' franchise's

Mushroom Kingdom is a video game series and media franchise created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo. Starring the titular plumber character Mario, the franchise began with video games but has extended to other forms of media, including ...

. In the main series games, she typically plays the role of a

who needs to be rescued by

. When playable, she typically has the ability to float in the air, and is physically taller than Mario. Her first playable appearance in a main series ''Mario'' game was 1988's '' Super Mario Bros. 2'', while her second was 2013's '' Super Mario 3D World''. Peach played a starring role in '' Super Princess Peach'' (2005), where she aims to rescue Mario,

, and

, aided by a parasol named Perry and several abilities based on her emotions—or "vibes". She makes frequent appearances in spin-off ''Mario'' games, such as the ''

'' series and the ''Mario'' sports games. In the 2017 game '' Super Mario Odyssey'', after being captured by and forced to marry Bowser, and subsequently rescued by Mario, she rejects both of them and instead takes a trip around the world, though Mario rejoins her. Peach again stars in her adventure in the 2024 game '' Princess Peach: Showtime!'', where she saves the Sparkle Theater from a sorceress named Grape, helped by a ribbon named Stella and various transformations including Swordfighter Peach and Patissiere Peach. Since 2001, Peach appeared in '' Super Smash Bros.'' series as a fighter alongside Bowser in '' Super Smash Bros. Melee'', and later in its succeeded games. She was voiced by

Anya Taylor-Joy Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy (; born 16 April 1996) is an actress. Born in Miami and raised in Buenos Aires and London, she left school at the age of 16 to pursue an acting career. After a series of small television roles, her Breakthrough ...

in ''The Super Mario Bros. Movie''.

Princess Daisy

(voiced by Giselle Fernandez) is the

of Sarasaland, the setting of ''

Super Mario Land is a 1989 platform game developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1, Nintendo R&D1, the same team that designed the Game Boy. It was published by Nintendo as Game Boy#Launch titles, one of the first four games released for the console. I ...

'' (1989). Since then, she has primarily appeared as a playable character in spin-off ''

'' games, especially ''Mario'' sports games. ''

Super Mario Run is a 2016 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for iOS and later Android. It is Nintendo's first mobile game that is part of one of the company's long-running and major franchises. In ''Super Mario Run'', the player controls Mario ...

'' (2016) marks Daisy's playable debut in a main series game, where she is able to perform a double jump. She acts more

tomboy A tomboy is a girl or young woman who generally expresses masculine traits. Such traits may include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and engaging in activities and behaviors traditionally associated with boys or men. Origins The w ...

ish than

, exemplified by her appearances in the ''Mario'' sports games. Some consider her and

to be a couple, though

rescued her in some games. Daisy also appeared in the ''

'' series, beginning with 2003's '' Mario Kart: Double Dash'', and '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, beginning with 2018's '' Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' as Peach's echo-fighter. Daisy is portrayed in 1993's ''Super Mario Bros.'' in live-action by

Samantha Mathis Samantha Mathis (born May 12, 1970) is an American actress and trade union leader who served as the Vice President, Actors/Performers of SAG-AFTRA from 2015 to 2019. The daughter of actress Bibi Besch, Mathis made her film debut in '' Pump Up ...

, although this interpretation is more of a blend of Peach and Daisy in design and portrayal, serving as Luigi's damsel in distress rather than Mario's. While Mario does help rescue this version of the princess, Mario's damsel in the 1993 film is Daniella, the live-action version of Pauline as portrayed by Dana Kaminski, rather than Peach, who was replaced in the film with Daisy. The purpose of this was to give Luigi the lead role, as the producers felt the film would be more relatable with a younger lead.

Toad

(voiced by Samantha Kelly) is an

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the n ...

-like character. He debuted in ''

'' (1985), though his first starring role was in '' Wario's Woods'' (1994), in which the player is able to control Toad to solve puzzles. Toad made his playable debut in a main series ''

'' game in 1988 with '' Super Mario Bros. 2'', and frequently acts as a

non-playable character A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...

in ''Mario'' role-playing games. The character is a member of the eponymous Toad

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

, which includes characters such as Captain Toad, Toadette, and Toadsworth. He was portrayed in live-action in 1993's ''Super Mario Bros.'' by the late Mojo Nixon as a rebellious singing freedom fighter working against King Koopa, and was voiced by

Keegan-Michael Key Keegan-Michael Key (born March 22, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, producer, and writer. He and Jordan Peele co-created and co-starred in the sketch series '' Key & Peele'' (2012–2015) for which he received one Primetime Emmy Award from ...

in '' The Super Mario Bros. Movie'' (2023).

Yoshi

(voiced by

Kazumi Totaka is a Japanese video game composer and sound director who is best known for his various compositions in many Nintendo games. He occasionally does voice acting as well, most notably voicing Yoshi from the ''Mario'' series. He also directed the ...

) is a green anthropomorphic dinosaur character, first appeared in the 1990 game ''

''. He is depicted with a long tongue that can be used to eat enemies, and can turn the enemies he eats into

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

s that release power-ups or can be thrown. Yoshi is a rideable character for the heroes or a playable character in most of the ''Mario'' spin-offs, including his own series. Yoshi also appeared in ''

'' series, '' Super Smash Bros.'' series as a fighter, and ''

'' series.

Donkey Kong

(voiced by

Takashi Nagasako is a Japanese voice actor who is currently affiliated with Arts Vision. He has voiced in a number of video games with roles such as Ganondorf in ''The Legend of Zelda'', Big the Cat in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, Cervantes de Leon and ...

) is an anthropomorphic

gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...

that stars in the ''

'' franchise. He is the leader of the Kong Family, a group of various

primate Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...

s and is depicted as the grandson of Cranky Kong who appeared in the 1981 arcade game, ''

'', though, he appears as an antagonist in the ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong'' series. He is depicted as a cheerful and powerful character. Alongside Mario and friends, Donkey Kong also appeared in ''

'' series, '' Super Smash Bros.'' series as a fighter, and ''

'' series. Donkey Kong was voiced by

Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known primarily for his comedic Leading actor, leading man roles in films, the accolades he has received include nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, ...

in '' The Super Mario Bros. Movie''.

Other supporting characters

Rosalina

(voiced by Laura Faye Smith) is a

character introduced in the 2007

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

game ''

Super Mario Galaxy is a 2007 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the third 3D platformer game in the ''Super Mario'' series. As Mario, the player embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Peach and save the universe from Bowser, af ...

''. As a child who fled into space after her mother's death, she becomes the adoptive mother of the Lumas—mysterious and friendly star-like creatures that inhabit space in the ''

'' franchise. She resides in the Comet Observatory, a

starship A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for interstellar travel, traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 1 ...

used to traverse the ''Mario'' universe. In later appearances, she typically takes the role of a supporting character, and primarily appears in spin-off games such as the ''Mario'' sports games, ''

'' series, and '' Super Smash Bros.'' series. In '' Super Mario 3D World'' (2013), she is a playable character, and is unlocked through gameplay.

Birdo

Birdo, also known as Birdette, and known in Japan as (voiced by Kazumi Totaka) is depicted as a pink, anthropomorphic dinosaur who wears a red bow on her head, and has a round mouth that can fire eggs as projectiles. Birdo first appeared in '' Super Mario Bros. 2'' as a recurring boss character. Since then, she has been a recurring playable character in various franchise

spin-offs Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

. Birdo has been referred to as a "man who thinks of himself as female" in earlier depictions, such as in the Japanese manual for the early prototype game '' Doki Doki Panic'', and was considered female in later games. It is heavily speculated that Birdo is

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

; she is considered to be one of the first ever transgender video game characters.

Pauline

(voiced by

Kate Higgins Catherine Davis Higgins is an American voice actress, singer and jazz pianist. She is best known for her voice-acting roles of Sakura Haruno in ''Naruto'', Miles "Tails" Prower in the video game series ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', Frankie Stein i ...

) debuted in ''

'' (1981) as Lady, and is further featured in ''

'' (1994) for Game Boy, and the ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong'' series. She was created by

, is the earliest example of a female with a speaking role in a video game, and is cited as a famous example of a

in fiction. She is the mayor of New Donk City in '' Super Mario Odyssey''.

Toadette

(voiced by Samantha Kelly; 2007-2024) is a pink Toad character who debuted in '' Mario Kart: Double Dash'' (2003) as a playable driver. Toadette is depicted with two long round pigtails with white spots and a dress, to distinguish her from Toad. Since '' Super Mario Odyssey'', Toadette is a member of the Toad Brigade and has the role of an archivist. Depending on the game, she is either a supporting character or a protagonist, playable in most of the ''Mario'' spin-off games. In '' New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe'', a power-up called the Super Crown allows Toadette to transform into Peachette, a form that highly resembles Princess Peach. As Peachette, she can use Peach's floating jump to hover, and can perform a double jump. She also returns as a playable character in '' Super Mario Bros. Wonder''.

Poochy

is portrayed as

's helper dog. He debuted in '' Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island'' and continued appearing throughout the ''Yoshi'' series, such as in '' Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World''. In the games, he can sniff out hidden items, cross over dangerous terrain, and jump over walls to give Yoshi a boost out of his wall jumps. In 2023, Poochy was added to ''

Mario Kart Tour is a 2019 kart racing mobile game developed and published by Nintendo for Android and iOS. It is the ninth game in the Mario Kart series. The game features biweekly, downloadable themed tours with different cups, each of which has three course ...

'' as a playable character.

Professor E. Gadd

(voiced by

), more commonly known as Professor E. Gadd, is a diminutive and elderly scientist and inventor. He primarily appears in the ''

'' series, in which he invented several objects, such as

's Poltergust 3000 and Gooigi from '' Luigi's Mansion 3''. He is referenced in ''

Super Mario Sunshine is a 2002 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the second 3D computer graphics, 3D game in the Super Mario, ''Super Mario'' series, following ''Super Mario 64'' (1996). The game was directed by Yoshiaki Ko ...

'' as the inventor of

's F.L.U.D.D., a device that allows him to spray water. The character has made cameo appearances in series such as ''

'' and ''

Mario & Luigi ''Mario & Luigi'' (also known as ''Mario & Luigi RPG'' in Japanese regions) is a series of role-playing video games published by Nintendo and originally developed by AlphaDream prior to their bankruptcy. The series is a spin-off from Nintendo's t ...

''. He makes ambiguous gibberish sounds when speaking, inspired by the language of "Animalese" used in the ''

Animal Crossing is a social simulation video game series developed and published by Nintendo. It was created by Katsuya Eguchi and Hisashi Nogami. The player character is a human who lives in a village inhabited by various anthropomorphic animals and can ...

'' series when Totaka invented his voice.

Toadsworth

(voiced by Scott Burns) is an elderly Toad character who is

's steward. He is depicted showing concern for the princess' safety and acts as a prime caretaker for the Toads. He debuted in ''

'' for GameCube, in which he goes on vacation with Mario, Peach and the other Toads. In '' Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time'', he is revealed to have cared for the princess since she was a baby.

Lumas

The Lumas are depicted as friendly star-like creatures. They first appear in ''

'', where they have the ability to transform into various game objects, explorable planetoids, and entire levels. Lumas come in a variety of colors, though are most commonly yellow. One particular Luma, known as Baby Luma, or Young Master Luma, is a major character in the ''Super Mario Galaxy'' games, granting Mario or Luigi the power to Star Spin. In the Illumination animated film '' The Super Mario Bros. Movie'' (2023), Juliet Jelenic voices a nihilistic blue Luma named Lumalee, that first appeared in ''Super Mario Galaxy'' as a salesman. Held prisoner by Bowser, Lumalee cheerfully laments the pain and suffering awaiting all those held prisoner, greatly depressing his fellow prisoners.

Captain Toad

(voiced by Samantha Kelly) is an explorer and the leader of the Toad Brigade, debuting in ''

''. He subsequently appears in '' Super Mario Galaxy 2'' and '' Super Mario Odyssey'', and as a " treasure tracker". He makes several cameos within '' Super Smash Bros.'' and debuted in the ''

'' series in ''

'' as a playable racer. He is the main protagonist in the subset of levels in '' Super Mario 3D World'' called ''Captain Toad's Adventures'', and in the game '' Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker''.

Nabbit

Nabbit (voiced by Dawn M. Bennett) is a rabbit-like creature who steals items from Toad. He was introduced in '' New Super Mario Bros. U'' (2012). In '' New Super Luigi U'', '' New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe'', and '' Super Mario Bros. Wonder'', he is a playable character.

Kong family

Diddy Kong

(Diddy) (voiced by Katsumi Suzuki) is an anthropomorphic

monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes. Thus monkeys, in that sense, co ...

who is Donkey Kong's nephew, sidekick, and best friend, appearing in the ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Mario'' franchises. Diddy Kong made his first appearance in the 1994

Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...

game ''

Donkey Kong Country ''Donkey Kong Country'', known in Japan as is a 1994 platform game developed by Rare (company), Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is a Reboot (fiction), reboot of Nintendo's ''Donkey Kong'' ...

''. He is the main protagonist of ''

Diddy Kong Racing ''Diddy Kong Racing'' is a 1997 kart racing game developed and published by Rare for the Nintendo 64. The game revolves around Diddy Kong and his friends' attempt to defeat the intergalactic antagonist, a wizard pig named Wizpig, through win ...

'' and its DS remake. He is depicted as a cheerful and kind character. Created by Rare, the name Diddy is a British term meaning "little".

Cranky Kong

(voiced by Takashi Nagasako) is an older Kong. His first appearance was in 1981's ''Donkey Kong'', where, as the game's antagonist, he kidnapped Pauline, though he was stopped by

. He is portrayed as the grandfather of

in the games, and the father of him in the 2023 film, in which he was voiced by

Fred Armisen Fereydun Robert Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and writer. With his comedy partner Carrie Brownstein, he co-created and co-starred in the IFC sketch comedy series '' Portlandia''. He also co-created ...

Antagonists

Bowser

or King Koopa (voiced by Kenneth W. James) is the king of the turtle-like Koopa race, a selfish king who wants to take over the entire world and the

. He is depicted as

nemesis In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis (; ) also called Rhamnousia (or Rhamnusia; ), was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris: arrogance before the gods. Etymology The name ''Nemesis'' is derived from the Greek ...

, and is the final boss of most ''Mario'' games. He is playable in most ''

'' spin-off games. is a recurring antagonist in the ''Mario'' series. Debuting as a form of Bowser after losing his flesh in '' New Super Mario Bros.'', the character has appeared as his own being starting with ''

Mario Kart Wii is a 2008 kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the sixth installment in the ''Mario Kart'' series, and was released in April 2008. In ''Mario Kart Wii,'' the player takes control of one of 24 ''Mario'' series c ...

'', often serving as the final

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Mario Party: Island Tour'', '' Mario Party 10'', and is a playable character in several of the ''Mario'' spin-off games. Bowser also appeared in '' Super Smash Bros.'' series as a fighter, beginning with the 2001 game, '' Super Smash Bros. Melee'' and later in its succeeded games for Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and Nintendo Switch. Bowser was voiced by

Jack Black Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...

in '' The Super Mario Bros. Movie''.

Koopalings

The are seven siblings who first appeared as boss characters in the 1988 game '' Super Mario Bros. 3''. Their individual names are Ludwig, Lemmy, Roy, Iggy, Wendy, Morton, and Larry. According to former Nintendo of America employee Dayvv Brooks, who named the characters, at least five of the seven Koopalings were named after musicians (

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

Lemmy Kilmister Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was a British musician. He was the founder, lead vocalist, bassist and primary songwriter of the metal band Motörhead, of which he ...

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

, and Wendy O. Williams), while Morton was named after talk show host Morton Downey Jr.; in the case of Larry, Brooks initially stated that the character was named after Larry Mullen Jr., an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2, only to contradict this in a later interview where he instead states the name was given simply because he felt that the character "looked like a Larry". The Koopalings were originally established as Bowser's children. Older ''Mario'' games maintain reference to them as such in updated manuals and re-releases. They have since been depicted as Bowser's minions in games following the release of ''

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a 2009 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. A follow-up to '' New Super Mario Bros.'', it was first released in Australia, North America, and Europe in November 2009, followed by Japan a month later. It was released ...

'' in 2009, with Shigeru Miyamoto stating in 2012 that "our current story is that the seven Koopalings are not Bowser's children. Bowser's only child is Bowser Jr." The Koopalings have additionally appeared as playable characters in spin-off ''Mario'' games and the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, and have been featured in non-video game ''Mario'' media including the animated '' Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3'' and ''

''. They are currently voiced by David J. Goldfarb, Carlee McManus, Dan Falcone, Ryan Higgins, Ashley Flannegan, David Cooke, and Michelle Hippe, respectively. Previously, in ''

'' and games that reuse its voice assets, Ludwig and Iggy had been voiced by Mike Vaughn, while the others, sans Roy, were previously voiced by Lani Minella.

Wario

(voiced by Kevin Afghani) is an

obese Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classified as obese when ...

yet muscular, hot-tempered, and greedy man. He is Mario's self-declared yellow-and-purple clad arch-rival. He initially debuted as an antagonist, but over the years has become an

anti-hero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Al ...

, and is playable in some games. Wario is the protagonist of the ''

'' series and is playable in most of the ''Mario'' spin-off games where he is shown to be Waluigi's partner. His name is portmanteau of "warui", the Japanese word for "bad", and "Mario". Wario's favorite food is

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

, often used in gameplay to restore health when he gets defeated.

Kamek

() is a member of the fictional Magikoopa species who is Bowser's childhood caretaker, and later in life one of his high-ranking minions. Kamek is the main antagonist of the ''Yoshi'' series, and first appeared in the 1995

game '' Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island''. In his various game appearances, his magic includes self-duplication, teleportation, shooting magical blasts, and changing the size of other creatures. He is often distinguished from other Magikoopas by the broom he rides on. In Japan, his species is also named Kamek, but outside Japan they are called Magikoopas. Kamek returns in the 2006

Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...

video game '' Yoshi's Island DS'', the 2009

video game ''

'' and its 2012

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

as a recurring supporting antagonist and boss character. Kamek also makes non-playable appearances in the ''

'' and ''

Paper Mario ''Paper Mario'' is a video game series and part of the ''Mario'' franchise, developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It combines elements from the role-playing, action-adventure, and puzzle genres. Players control a ...

'' series in various roles, and made playable appearances as an unlockable character in the 2012 Wii video game '' Mario Party 9'' and the 2014

Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...

video game '' Mario Golf: World Tour''. Kamek's non-playable appearance in ''

Mario Party 8 ''Mario Party 8'' is a 2007 party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the eighth main installment in the ''Mario Party'' series, as well as the first title in the series to be released for the Wii. Lik ...

'' was controversial and caused the game to be recalled in the United Kingdom, as some of his in-game dialogue contained the word " spastic", which is considered very offensive to disabled people in the UK. Additionally, Kamek has had minor cameo appearances in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series. A prototype of '' Mario Kart 64'' for the

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the Super Nintendo E ...

featured Kamek as one of the eight playable characters, but the character was replaced with

in the final game. Kamek would later become a playable character made available for the ''Kamek Tour'' in a 2021 update to the 2019

mobile game A mobile game is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any Mobile device, portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet computer, table ...

''. In 2023, he was added to ''

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a 2014 kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. It retains the gameplay of previous ''Mario Kart'' games, with players controlling a ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' character in races around tracks. Tracks are theme ...

'' as part of the Booster Course Pass, marking his first appearance in a console ''

'' game. Kamek was voiced by

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

in '' The Super Mario Bros. Movie'', who based Kamek’s voice on

Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, active first in Europe and later in the United States. Known for his timidly devious characters, his appearance, and accented vo ...

Mini Bowser

also referred to exclusively in North America as Koopa Kid and initially mistranslated as Baby Bowser, describes both an individual and a group of

's minions bearing similar design elements to the latter. They appear exclusively in the ''

'' sub-series of video games, where their role is generally to hinder player's progress by stealing coins needed for progression or confronting the player in minigames. While Mini Bowser would initially continue to rise in relevance throughout the series, becoming the plot's main antagonistic force as well as a playable character by ''Mario Party 5'' and being the subject of a dedicated mode in ''Mario Party Advance'', he has also become an example of

phasing out certain characters from the ''Super Mario'' franchise, with him having been replaced by the more recently introduced Bowser Jr. in newer games of the series, netting him the reputation of being "another neglected classic Nintendo character". Both the reason for this disappearance as well as his actual relation to

is a subject of fan speculation, due to regional differences concerning in-game texts and manuals implying Mini Bowser to either be a child, younger version or simple henchman of

Waluigi

is a tall, thin, and mischievous man who was introduced in ''Mario Tennis'' as Wario's partner of unspecified relation. He is Luigi's black-and-purple clad arch-rival. Waluigi is often an antagonist who teams up with Wario to accomplish their schemes. He is playable in most of the ''Mario'' spin-off games, and makes several cameos within the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series. Like with Wario, his name is a portmanteau of "warui" and "Luigi".

King Boo

is the king of the Boos, and is the main

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Luigi's Mansion is a 2001 action-adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo. The game was a launch title for the GameCube and was the first game in the ''Mario'' franchise to be released for the console; it was released in Japan on September 14, ...

'' series. He plays minor roles, occasionally playable, in various other ''

'' games, including the ''

'' and ''

'' series. King Boo's first major debuted role was as the final boss of ''

'', where he disguised himself as Bowser. He is depicted as much larger than the average Boos that appear in games after ''Luigi's Mansion''. He dons a crown with a large ruby, and has glowing, sunken eyes in the ''Luigi's Mansion'' franchise. A similar character named Big Boo is an enemy in ''

'' and a boss in ''Super Mario 64 DS''. Additionally, a different character also named King Boo, known as Boss Boo in Japan, appears as a boss in ''

''.

Bowser Jr.

in Japan; voiced by Caety Sagoian), or sometimes simply Jr. or Junior, is the son of Bowser, who first appeared in the 2002 GameCube game ''

''. He is often depicted as the secondary antagonist throughout the ''

'' series. In the games, Bowser Jr. looks up to his dad, and shares his ambition to defeat Mario, and take over the world and the

. Bowser Jr. is playable in most of the spin-off ''Mario'' games, and in '' Super Smash Bros.'' He is the main protagonist of ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story#Remake, Bowser Jr.'s Journey'' (2018) included in the remake of ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story#Remake, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story''.

Petey Piranha

, known as in Japan, is a large, powerful Piranha Plant character. Whereas normal Piranha Plants are usually depicted growing from pipes, Petey's leaves and roots are foot-like and arm-like appendages, allowing the character to use objects such as tennis rackets and golf clubs when playable in the various ''Mario'' sports games. He can sometimes use his leaves to fly around. He debuted as the primary boss of Bianco Hills in the game ''

'', returning as a minor boss in '' New Super Mario Bros.''. Similar Piranha Plant boss characters later appear in ''

'' and its sequel. Petey Piranha made his ''Mario Kart'' debut in '' Mario Kart: Double Dash'' as a playable driver, and returns in ''

'' and ''

''.

Fawful

known in Japan as Gerakobits is a recurring antagonist in the ''

'' series. The character is considered to be "Insanity, insane", and speaks in a chaotic manner. He served as the secondary antagonist of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, ''Superstar Saga'', and the main antagonist of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, ''Bowser's Inside Story''. He was also the main

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain. Bill Trinen and Nate Bihldorff, both employees of the Treehouse, wrote the English dialogue for Fawful through the exchange of notes. Rather than sticking close to the Japanese script, where Fawful simply adds "Fururururu!" to the end of every line, Trinen and Bihldorff intended to make Fawful as "wacky" and "zainy" as possible in the Western release. Thus, in English versions of the games, all of Fawful's dialogue consists of Engrish, broken English and word salads and his catchphrase, "I have fury!". Fawful has received critical acclaim from both critics and fans, regarded as a favorite villain. He is also regarded for his quotes and humor, nominated for the "Most Quotable Character" award in 2009, but losing to Ellis from ''Left 4 Dead 2''. ''1UP.com''s Jeremy Parish attributing the quality of ''Superstar Saga''s comedy to him. His "I have fury!" quote was included in ''Nintendo Power''s collection of classic quotes from Nintendo games. Another quotation, "I am the mustard of your doom!" was regarded by ''MTV Multiplayer'' writer Steven Totilo as one of the most famous lines in video games of recent years and was quoted with "uncommon frequency." ''GamesRadar'' ranked Fawful as one of the best video game villains, arguing that he was a dominant aspect of the ''Mario & Luigi'' series partly due to his quotes.

Enemies

* Blooper – A sentry-like squid that chases after the player, debuting in ''

''. Blooper Nannies, a variation of the Blooper, thrust smaller versions of themselves (Blooper Babies) toward the player as a form of attack. * – A bomb enemy introduced in '' Super Mario Bros. 2'' with a wind-up key and a fuse, which explodes after a set amount of time or when thrown. King Bob-omb, previously Big Bob-omb, was introduced in ''Super Mario 64'', as a Boss (video games), boss character there and in '' Mario Party 9'', ''Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam'', and ''Mario Party: Star Rush''. * Boo, known in Japan as – A spherical ghost enemy introduced in '' Super Mario Bros. 3'' as "Boo Diddleys" (a pun on the name of American musician Bo Diddley), which sneaks up on the player from behind while they are facing away from it. Inspired by a Rage (emotion), rage that Takashi Tezuka's wife went into after he came home from work late. With Boo being one of the more popular ''Mario'' enemies, their image has been used in official Nintendo merchandise, such as plush dolls, as well as cookie cutters. Boo is considered one of the best enemies in the ''Mario'' series. * Bullet Bill – A bullet with angry eyes and clenched fists that is shot out of a cannon called a "Bill Blaster". They have a larger counterpart with a shark-like face, known as Banzai Bills (renamed Boomer Bills in the Lego Super Mario sets and Bomber Bills in '' The Super Mario Bros. Movie''). * Chain Chomp – A metallic ball-and-chain creature that lunges at the player when they approach it. Inspired by a childhood experience of

's with a violent dog. * Cheep Cheep – This circular, usually red, fish debuted in ''

'' Cheep Cheeps are found primarily in the water, but some can jump in an arc, or fly within a limited range. Giant varieties attempt to swallow the player, such as Boss Bass and Big Bertha. Porcupuffers are giant variants with spiked backs. Fish Bones are skeletons that charge at the player and break apart upon a wall collision. * Dry Bones – A Skeleton (undead), skeleton version of a Koopa Troopa. Unlike regular Koopa Troopas, Dry Bones will not retract into their shell when stepped on. Instead, they will collapse and reform after a few seconds. * Fuzzy – A spiked creature which hangs in the air, and sometimes moves on rails. It debuted in ''

''. * Goomba – A sentient creature that resembles a

, it is the first enemy that the player typically encounters in the games' first levels. Implemented late in the development of ''Super Mario Bros.'' as a basic, easy enemy. Variants of the Goomba may have wings, known as the Paragoomba, and similar creatures include the Galoomba, which flips over and can be thrown when stomped on, and the Goombrat, which turns at edges. The Goombas have their own king, King Goomba (also called Goomboss), introduced as the first boss in ''Paper Mario (video game), Paper Mario''. * Hammer Brother – A type of helmet-wearing Koopa who throws hammers at the player. It has several variations that throw other projectiles, such as the Boomerang Brother and the Fire Brother, and a bigger variant known as a Sledge Brother which can stun the player. * Koopa Troopa – A foot soldier of Bowser. It retracts in its shell when stomped on, after which it can be used to attack other foes. Variants of the Koopa may have wings, where it is known as the Paratroopa or the Koopa Paratroopa. There are many other varieties of the Koopa Troopa such as red, yellow, and blue. Several other subspecies appear throughout the ''Mario'' games. ** Buzzy Beetle – A black or blue beetle-like creature with a hard, fireproof shell that renders it immune to fire attacks. It can crawl on ceilings and drop down when the player gets too close. ** – A Koopa wearing football gear that mostly charges at the player, and can use items such as baseballs and shovels. ** Mechakoopa – A robot with a wind-up key that becomes disabled and can be thrown after being stomped on. A variant introduced in ''

'' is capable of breathing fire. ** Spike Top – A red wall-crawling beetle-like creature which combines the Buzzy Beetle's immunity to fire and the Spiny's immunity to being jumped on, although it can be spin-jumped on. ** Spiny – A red beetle-like creature that damages the player if touched from above. They are often thrown by Lakitus in unlimited supplies. * – Official pronunciation: ). A cloud-riding Koopa with aviator goggles that drops an endless supply of Spinies. It also appears in ''Mario'' spin-off games with various roles, including a Motorsport marshal, track marshal on ''

'' and a camera operator on ''Super Mario 64''. * Magikoopa – A wizard Koopa capable of casting magic spells, turning blocks into foes, power-ups, or coins. Magikoopas first appeared in ''

''. Kamek and Kammy Koopa are recurring individuals of this species, appearing in the ''List of Yoshi video games, Yoshi'' and ''

'' series, respectively. * Monty Mole – A Mole (animal), mole that burrows underground, and springs out of the ground when the player gets close. A similar enemy known as the Rocky Wrench pops out of airship manholes and throws wrenches at the player. * Piranha Plant – A leafy, stalk-topped carnivorous plant with sharp teeth that typically lives within pipes. Known as Pakkun Flower in Japan, it has made numerous appearances outside of the ''Mario'' franchise, including as a playable character in '' Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' via downloadable content. * Podoboo – A fireball that jumps out of lava and can bounce off walls. It is also referred to as a Lava Bubble (a name shared with other lava based enemies). A Blue Podoboo homes in on the player and jumps out of blue lava and is found in '' Super Princess Peach'', and a variant of the Lava Bubble that chases after the player and spits fireballs appears mainly in the ''

'' games. * Pokey – A spiked cactus with detachable green or yellow body segments, which first appeared in the international '' Super Mario Bros. 2''. * Shy Guy – A timid masked creature wearing a robe, which comes in many different colors and variations. Introduced in the international '' Super Mario Bros. 2'', but more commonly portrayed as an enemy to Yoshi since ''Yoshi's Island''. It originally appeared in the Japanese game Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987). This game was later adapted for international audiences as Super Mario Bros. 2, integrating Shy Guy into the Mario universe. Some variants include the Snifit, a Shy Guy with a cannon on its mask which it uses to fire bullets, the Fly Guy, a Shy Guy with a propeller on its head that can fly, and the Bandit, a blue Shy Guy that is known for stealing things from the player such as coins and other items. Voiced by Nintendo of America localization manager Nate Bihldorff. * Spike – A green Koopa creature that attacks with spiked balls, which it throws out of its mouth. First appeared in '' Super Mario Bros. 3''. * Thwomp – A large stone block with an angry face that is mainly encountered in castles. It attempts to crush the player, usually from above. There is a smaller variation of the Thwomp called a Thwimp. * Whomp – An anthropomorphic stone slab that slams its face on the ground when the player gets near. It can only be defeated by ground pounding its back. It is inspired by the Japanese mythical wall monster, the nurikabe. * Wiggler – A caterpillar enemy introduced in ''

'', which changes color and charges at the player when stomped on. It is a playable character in some games. Flutters are Wigglers with butterfly wings.

Notes

References

External links

List of characters
at the Super Mario Wiki, a ''Mario''-centric wiki {{Portal bar, 1990s, Video games Lists of Nintendo characters, Mario Mario (franchise) characters,

Primary protagonists

Mario

Luigi

Princess Peach

Princess Daisy

Toad

Yoshi

Donkey Kong

Other supporting characters

Rosalina

Birdo

Pauline

Toadette

Poochy

Professor E. Gadd

Toadsworth

Lumas

Captain Toad

Nabbit

Kong family

Diddy Kong

Cranky Kong

Antagonists

Bowser

Koopalings

Wario

Kamek

Mini Bowser

Waluigi

King Boo

Bowser Jr.

Petey Piranha

Fawful

Enemies

See also

Notes

References

External links