video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

spin-off 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

minigame A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements and is often smaller or more simplistic than th ...

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 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 ...

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

handheld A mobile device or handheld device is a computer small enough to hold and operate in hand. Mobile devices are typically battery-powered and possess a flat-panel display and one or more built-in input devices, such as a touchscreen or keypad. Mod ...

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

antihero 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 ...

console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...

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 ...

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 ...

Waluigi is a character in the Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise. He plays the role of Luigi's arch-rival and accompanies Wario in spin-off (media), spin-offs from the Super Mario (series), main ''Mario'' series, often for the sake of causing mis ...

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.Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3'' and '' Wario Land II''. She is the leader of a legion of seafaring thieves known as the Brown Sugar Pirates, and is Wario's true

archenemy In literature, an archenemy, (sometimes spelled as arch-enemy) or nemesis is the main enemy of the protagonist — or sometimes, one of the other main characters — appearing as the most prominent and most-known enemy of the hero. Etymolog ...

, with Mario close behind. She is a technological genius and inventor, constantly building mechanized apparatuses to assist her in attacking whatever target she chooses. The Pirates' base of operations is Kitchen Island, a gigantic coved island in the middle of the ocean, and their main mode of transportation is the S.S. Teacup, a massive pirate ship. She acts as Wario's ally in '' Wario Land: Shake It!'' to have him do all of the work for her, however she betrays him in the end and steals his treasure. * 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.Wario Land 3''. Rudy lures Wario into the music box world, claiming that he is the god of the world. He convinces Wario to help break the seal that was placed upon him by the other creatures of the world, with the promise of keeping any treasure Wario finds. After the seal is broken, Rudy reveals himself and attacks Wario. Wario defeats him, and the curse on the other inhabitants is broken. Rudy returns in the video game '' Dr. Mario 64'', where he and Mad Scienstein concoct a plan to steal the Megavitamins from Dr. Mario because he has a cold, and wants the power to cure any illness. * 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.Wario Land 4 ''Wario Land 4'' is a 2001 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It is the fourth installment in the ''Wario Land'' subseries of the ''Wario'' series. It was released in Japan in August 2001 and November 2 ...

''. She is responsible for taking over the golden pyramid that was originally ruled by Princess Shokora whom she placed a curse upon turning her into a black cat. Wario decides to explore the pyramid after reading about its legend in an article. She is not encountered until later in the game when the player gains access to the innermost chamber of the pyramid where various treasures are being kept. * appears in ''Wario Land 4''. In the game's manual, it is mentioned that she was the original owner of the golden pyramid where the game takes place in, but was cursed by the Golden Diva. In her cursed form, Shokora is capable of shapeshifting, her most common forms being a tiny black cat and a black stick figure. For a price, Wario can get her help in boss fights by inflicting damage on the boss before the fight begins. After Wario recovers her belongings from the pyramid's bosses and destroys the Golden Diva, Shokora is released from the curse and thanks Wario for saving her (though her appearance and Wario's reaction changes based on how many other treasures Wario obtained from the bosses), then is escorted by angels into the heavens. *The 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.Wario: Master of Disguise'' characters

* is the original star of the television show ''The Silver Zephyr'', in which he is the titular thief. A master of disguise, Cannoli uses his magic wand Goodstyle to change his appearance, but Wario leaps into the television world of the show and steals Goodstyle out of jealousy. Over the course of the game, Cannoli chases Wario demanding Goodstyle back and is a frequent obstacle as he sets traps and attacks Wario in his mechanical Mad Hat vehicle. * is a sentient magic wand that grants its wearer the power to change their appearance. He has been passed down through the Cannoli family for many generations, but Wario steals him from the current-day Count Cannoli and uses him to become his own alter-ego "The Purple Wind". Goodstyle accepts Wario as his new master and teaches him how to use his power. After Wario defeats Terrormisu, Goodstyle reveals his true form as the very first member of the Cannoli Clan and the one who originally banished Terrormisu. He thanks Wario for his help and gives him all the accumulated wealth of the Cannoli Clan as gratitude. However, Wario discovers that he can't take the treasure out of the television world, leaving him both penniless and furious. * is a rival thief to Count Cannoli. He owns a corporation called Sigil Securities and can transform into a giant blue ball with a face on it. He initially does not think much of Wario, but quickly realizes that "The Purple Wind" is more than he appears. At one point, Carpaccio teams with Count Cannoli to stop Wario from reassembling the Wishstone, a magical relic that supposedly can grant any wish. * is a blonde woman in a pink dress who first appears to Wario on Sweatmore Peak and helps him briefly during his search for the Wishstone. After Wario fully reassembles the Wishstone, she reveals her true identity as the demon Terrormisu, the true main antagonist of the game who had been sealed away in the Wishstone by the first of the Cannoli Clan and had been manipulating Wario to reassemble it so she can return and cause disaster. She is ultimately defeated by Wario and runs back into the underworld crying, never to return.

''WarioWare'' series

''WarioWare'' (also known as ''WarioWare, Inc.''), known in Japan as , is a series of games featuring the

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 ...

character

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 ...

. The series was established in 2003 with the release of '' Mega Microgames!'' for the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...

. While the first two games were developed by

Nintendo R&D1 (commonly abbreviated as Nintendo R&D1 and formerly known as before splitting in 1978) was a division of Nintendo, and is its oldest development team. Its creation coincided with Nintendo's entry into the video game industry, and the original ...

, subsequent games have been co-developed by

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 ...

. The distinctive feature of all ''WarioWare'' games is that they are collections of short, simple "microgames" presented in quick succession. The player is given four "lives" at the beginning of these microgames. Each of these microgames lasts about three to five seconds and must be completed, or else a life will be lost. For example, there is a microgame where the player must zap a spaceship; in another, Wario must collect coins in a

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 ...

-like maze. The numerous microgames are linked together randomly and steadily increase in speed and difficulty as the player progresses. On each level, losing four games results in a game over. After a certain amount of microgames have been played, the player faces a stage-specific boss microgame; the player must complete these to regain a lost life (with a maximum of four lives at any given time). Boss microgames are considerably longer and more complex than other microgames. For example, a boss microgame in ''Mega Microgames!'' instructs the player to hit a

nail Nail or Nails may refer to: In biology * Nail (anatomy), toughened protective protein-keratin (known as alpha-keratin, also found in hair) at the end of an animal or human digit, such as fingernail * Nail (beak), a plate of hard horny tissue a ...

with a

hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nail (fastener), nails into wood, to sh ...

multiple times in a row. The idea of microgames or minigames was popularized generally during the Nintendo 64's

fifth generation of video game consoles The fifth generation era (also known as the 32-bit era, the 64-bit era, or the 3D era) refers to computer and video games, video game consoles, and handheld gaming consoles dating from approximately October 4, 1993, to March 23, 2006. The best ...

and some early minigames appear in the Nintendo

64DD The is a peripheral developed by Nintendo to expand the capabilities of the Nintendo 64 with rewritable magnetic disks and online connectivity. Announced in 1995 before the Nintendo 64's 1996 launch, it faced multiple delays before its release ...

's '' Mario Artist: Talent Studio'' in the style that would give rise to the ''WarioWare'' series. Certain minigames originated in ''Mario Artist: Polygon Studio'', as explained by Goro Abe of

Nintendo R&D1 (commonly abbreviated as Nintendo R&D1 and formerly known as before splitting in 1978) was a division of Nintendo, and is its oldest development team. Its creation coincided with Nintendo's entry into the video game industry, and the original ...

's so-called Wario Ware All-Star Team: "In Polygon Studio you could create 3D models and animate them in the game, but there was also a side game included inside. In this game you would have to play short games that came one after another. This is where the idea for Wario Ware came from." Teammate Yoshio Sakamoto continued, "To add on that, we got the idea of using Wario and the other characters because we couldn't think of anyone else who would be best for the role. Wario is always doing stupid things and is really idiotic, so we thought him and the rest of the characters would be best for the game." '' Game & Wario'', released in 2013, is a spin-off of the ''WarioWare'' series. ''

WarioWare Gold ''WarioWare Gold'' is a minigame compilation developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS family of video game consoles. The ninth installment in the ''WarioWare'' series, it was released in PAL regions in Jul ...

'' was released worldwide in 2018. '' WarioWare: Get It Together!'' was released on September 10, 2021. '' WarioWare: Move It!'' was released on November 3, 2023.

''WarioWare'' games

Microgames

Microgames are simple

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

s created by the fictional company ''WarioWare, Inc.''.

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 ...

's line of ''WarioWare'' games each feature these microgames, which are generally less than five seconds long. Microgames are even simpler and shorter than the

minigame A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements and is often smaller or more simplistic than th ...

s found in other games such as 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. Gameplay in all ''WarioWare'' games is distinct from most other games, as they involve the player or players trying to beat the microgames as soon as possible. Most games present instructions in the form of a

verb A verb is a word that generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual description of English, the basic f ...

and quickly drop the player into the situation where they must perform said verb. The extremely stripped-down gameplay has intrigued some game researchers, who have used ''WarioWare'' both as a case study in understanding the relationship between rules and play in videogames, and as a target domain for investigating automated game design. All microgames are strung together in a random order within different "stages", each hosted by a different character. First, the player is presented with a quick one or two word instruction such as "Eat!" or "Rub!" Then, the microgame will appear and the player will have to complete the game according to the instruction. Microgames usually have only one task to complete. For example, in one microgame the player is told to "Enter!" and is presented with a scene from ''

The Legend of Zelda is a media franchise, video game series created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo; some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flags ...

''. The player must use the directional buttons to move Link to a cave entrance before the time runs out. In another microgame, the player is told to "Avoid!" and must drive a car, avoiding oncoming traffic. Most microgames have a

sound effect A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. In m ...

that signifies when the task is completed. The games by themselves are so brief so as to potentially demand the sharp reflexes of a

quick-time event In video games, a quick time event (QTE) is a method of context-sensitive gameplay in which the player performs actions on the control device shortly after the appearance of an on-screen instruction/prompt. It allows for limited control of the ...

. Boss microgames always occur at a set point in a stage. They are usually more challenging than regular microgames, have no time limit (as described below), and give lives back upon completion. If a stage is played for the first time, it is completed after the boss microgame. The sound effect will usually play after the task is fulfilled, and then the score screen will return. On repeated plays, if the player has less than four lives, one will be restored. The unit of time for all microgames is beats. In '' Mega Microgames!'' and '' Twisted!'', a standard microgame is 8 beats, double-length microgames (usually IQ-genre games) last 16 beats; Fronk's microgames in ''Twisted!'' and ''Gold'' only last 4 beats. In most games, the BPM will start out relatively slow and will increase as the player completes microgames. In '' WarioWare: Touched!'', the 8-beat standard has been dropped for all microgames, so many last longer than 8 beats. This may be a way to make the game easier for those unaccustomed to the

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 ...

's touch-screen interface. To retain pace, the microgames will automatically end if cleared before a four-beat measure is met. To show the time left to complete a microgame, a small "bomb" appears at the bottom of the screen. The fuse and a countdown timer show the amount of time left to complete the microgame. When time runs out, the bomb explodes and in most cases, the player loses a life. The fuse burns faster when the BPM increases. Some microgames are intrinsically harder than others, and an increased BPM (increased speed) will make any microgame more difficult to complete than the same microgame at a slower BPM. This is usually reflected in the microgames' "clear scores"—the score one must reach while playing a microgame in the practice modes to obtain credit for "clearing" it. (''Smooth Moves'' and ''D.I.Y.'' lack this feature.) Each microgame features three difficulty levels. Most modes start at the easiest level, and progress to the next upon a "Level Up" (usually achieved after passing a boss microgame). Once the maximum level is reached, sequential "Level Up"s will typically be replaced by "Speed Up"s (an increase in BPM). Using the above ''The Legend of Zelda'' microgame as an example, the first version of this microgame usually places Link very close to the cave entrance that he must enter. The second version places the entrance further away and places an enemy that blocks Link, and the last version places the entrance yet further, and has a second enemy that shoots at Link from a lake.

''WarioWare'' characters

There are two major types of character in the ''WarioWare'' series. The first are the WarioWare, Inc. developers, who both create and host the microgames. Each one has a unique theme or twist, depending on the game. For instance, Jimmy T.'s microgames in ''Twisted!'' are focused around large spins, while in ''Touched!'' his microgames involve rubbing objects with the stylus. The second group of characters often show up within the introduction cutscenes — the most notable being Fronk, who hosts "Pop-Up" microgames in ''Twisted!'' and ''Gold'' and pops up in the most unlikely of places.

Major characters

* is 9-Volt's mother and makes a few appearances in the ''WarioWare'' games. She is never fully seen until '' Game & Wario'', and is a

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

like her son. 5-Volt lives along with her son and his pet Fronk in

a house A House were an Irish rock band that where active in Dublin from 1985 to 1997, and recognized for the clever, "often bitter or irony laden lyrics of frontman Dave Couse ... bolstered by the and'sseemingly effortless musicality". The single " En ...

in Diamond City. She makes her first appearance in '' WarioWare: Twisted!'', where she shouts at 9-Volt to go to bed since he was playing with 18-Volt all day. 5-Volt is seen only from behind, and from the knees down. After 9-Volt has gone to bed, he still furtively plays with his Game Boy Advance SP under the bedspread, but his mother catches him when she opens his room's door a second time. 5-Volt's silhouette is seen in the doorway. 5-Volt is seen again in '' WarioWare: Touched!'', as a silhouette in the Game Over screen of 9-Volt and 18-Volt's stage. She watches her son and his friend eating cake. In Game and Wario, she has a more major role as the main obstacle in the “Gamer” minigame. In ''

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and , both commonly referred to together as ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' or ''Smash 4'', are 2014 crossover fighting games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U video game cons ...

'' and ''

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeeding ' ...

'', she appears as a stage hazard in the Gamer stage. She appears again in ''

WarioWare Gold ''WarioWare Gold'' is a minigame compilation developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS family of video game consoles. The ninth installment in the ''WarioWare'' series, it was released in PAL regions in Jul ...

'' with her own microgames that are all based on Nintendo games, just like 9-Volt's and 18-Volt's. Since ''Gold'', she has been voiced by

Cristina Vee Cristina Danielle Valenzuela (born July 11, 1987), known professionally as Cristina Vee, or Cristina "Vee" Valenzuela, is an American voice actress. She provides voices for English dubs of anime, animation, and video games. Early life and ed ...

in English and

Ruriko Aoki is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Atomic Monkey. She voiced Riina Tada in ''The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls'', for which she received a top-ten charting single. She also voiced Ranra in '' The World Is Still Beautiful'', Yucho La in ' ...

in Japanese. * is a young

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 ...

fanatic, owning everything ever made by Nintendo. 9-Volt's microgames are all based on Nintendo games as well as toys from when Nintendo was primarily a toy company. Since ''Gold'', he has been voiced by

Melissa Hutchison Melissa Hutchison is an American voice actress, who is well known for her voice role as Clementine in '' The Walking Dead'' and its sequels, for which she won ''Best Performance by a Female'' at the 2013 Spike Video Game Awards and was nominated ...

in English and

Makoto Koichi is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Tomorrow Jam. Starting off as a stage performer, she began voice acting in numerous video games and anime series, with her first main role being in the game ''Toys Drive''. Biography Koichi was born in ...

in Japanese. * is 9-Volt's best friend, and is also a fan of video games. He is large, but despite his size, he goes to Diamond Elementary School, as does 9-Volt. His other defining trait is the boom box he always carries; his loud music gets him into trouble on his first day of school, although he soon finds an admirer in 9-Volt. Since ''Gold'', he has been voiced by Edward Bosco in English and

Subaru Kimura , known professionally as , is a German-Japanese actor and rapper. His best-known role is voicing Takeshi "Gian" Goda in the ''Doraemon'' series, which has spawned numerous specials. Biography Kimura was born to a German father and a Japanese ...

in Japanese. * is a 15 year-old

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

-in-training, who lives in a haunted mansion in Diamond City with a little demon/devil or imp named Red. She has long black hair in two long ponytails. Ashley makes a cameo appearance in ''

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and , both commonly referred to together as ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' or ''Smash 4'', are 2014 crossover fighting games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U video game cons ...

'' as an Assist Trophy character. Ashley also appears in ''

Super Mario Maker is a 2015 platform game and game creation system developed and published by Nintendo. An entry in the ''Super Mario'' series, the game allowed players to create, play, and share courses based on previous ''Super Mario'' titles including ''Sup ...

'' as an unlockable ''Mystery Mushroom'' costume. Ashley reprised her role as an Assist Trophy in ''

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeeding ' ...

''. Since ''Gold'', Ashley has been voiced by

Erica Lindbeck Erica Lindbeck (born May 29, 1992) is an American voice actress best known as the third voice of Barbie in the eponymous media franchise, succeeding Kelly Sheridan in 2015 and being succeeded herself by America Young in 2018. She also works w ...

in English and

Ayaka Fukuhara is a Japanese voice actress from Kagoshima Prefecture affiliated with the agency Across Entertainment. After aspiring to become a voice actress early in life, she made her acting debut in 2012 as the character Rin Shibuya in ''The Idolmaster Cin ...

in Japanese, while Red has been voiced by Tyler Shamy in English and Mako Muto in Japanese. * and are two developers who speak with

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

accents. They also work as cabbies, and their cab, which was designed by Dr. Crygor, has the ability to go anywhere in the universe. Dribble is a large

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 ...

bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is a stocky, muscular dog of medium size, with a large head, thick folds of skin around the face and shoulders and a rel ...

with red hair. He is large, burly, and seems gruff, but he is actually quite calm and friendly. Spitz is a yellow anthropomorphic

cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

. He is always squinting and wears goggles. Their levels generally involve picking up a weird customer and forgetting to ask for the fare. Since ''Gold'', Dribble has been voiced by

Kyle Hebert Kyle Henry Hebert ( ) is an American voice actor known for his work in anime and video game series, such as the teenage/adult Gohan and the narrator in the Funimation dub of the ''Dragon Ball series'', Sōsuke Aizen in ''Bleach'', Ryu in the ...

in English and Yūma Kametani in Japanese, while Spitz has been voiced by Griffin Puatu in English and Kazuya Yamaguchi in Japanese. * is a quirky scientist whose inventions include his

cryogenic In physics, cryogenics is the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures. The 13th International Institute of Refrigeration's (IIR) International Congress of Refrigeration (held in Washington, DC in 1971) endorsed a univers ...

suit, Mike, the karaoke robot that would "solve all his cleaning needs", the Super MakerMatic 21, and the Kelerometer diet machine. One of the character card descriptions in ''WarioWare Gold'' states that he is over 100 years old. He is the grandfather of Penny Crygor. In ''WarioWare: Touched'', Dr. Crygor accidentally gets caught in his latest invention and is younger and more fit, with red accents to his costume, as well as a full helmet. These changes remain for a part of ''WarioWare: Smooth Moves''. Since ''Gold'', he has been voiced by

Kyle Hebert Kyle Henry Hebert ( ) is an American voice actor known for his work in anime and video game series, such as the teenage/adult Gohan and the narrator in the Funimation dub of the ''Dragon Ball series'', Sōsuke Aizen in ''Bleach'', Ryu in the ...

in English and Kensuke Matsui in Japanese. *The are a strange, blocky, yellow species of creatures. They appear constantly throughout all the ''WarioWare'' games, both in microgames and cutscenes. 9-Volt apparently even keeps one of them as a pet, calling it "Shag." In addition to several varieties of yellow Fronk, there are also red and blue varieties; their faces vary individually from each other. Since ''Gold'', 9-Volt's pet Fronk has been voiced by

Todd Haberkorn Todd Michael Haberkorn (born August 16, 1982) is an American voice actor and director, who has dubbed in anime, films, and video games. Some of his notable roles include Keroro from ''Sgt. Frog'', Allen Walker from '' D.Gray-man'', Death the ...

in English and Kazuya Yamaguchi in Japanese. * is a man with a large blue afro wig, who is a

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

dancing fanatic. Jimmy is always seen frequenting hot Diamond City night spots, particularly Club Sugar. His family, which also dances with him includes Papa T. and Mama T., and his brother and sister, James T. and Jamie T. He also has a doppelganger named Jimmy P. whose hair is a different color to his. Their levels often involve remixing the games from previous stages. Since ''Gold'', he has been voiced by Vegas Trip in English and Yūma Kametani in Japanese. * and are

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

-aged

ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...

twins. Kat has pink hair with a single ponytail, while Ana has orange hair with two ponytails. They have four pets: Don the Sparrow, Shadow the Dog, Shuriken the Falcon, and Numchuck the Monkey. Kat & Ana make a cameo appearance in ''

Super Smash Bros. Brawl ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 crossover fighting game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series and the successor to '' Super Smash Bros. Melee'', it wa ...

'' and ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U'' as Assist Trophy characters and regular trophies. Since ''Gold'', Kat has been voiced by

Stephanie Sheh Stephanie Sheh (born April 10, 1977) is an American voice actress, ADR director, writer, and producer who has worked for several major companies. She is often involved with work in English dubs of anime, cartoons, video games, and films. Her not ...

in English and Maya Enoyoshi in Japanese, while Ana has been voiced by

Fryda Wolff Fryda Wolff (born May 25, 1982) is an American voice actress. Biography Wolff attended Las Vegas Academy of the Arts High School during the same era as alumni Matthew Gray Gubler, Rutina Wesley, Baron Vaughn, and Ne-Yo. She identifies as queer a ...

in English and Yui Matsuyama in Japanese. * is a young girl who made her appearance in ''

WarioWare Gold ''WarioWare Gold'' is a minigame compilation developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS family of video game consoles. The ninth installment in the ''WarioWare'' series, it was released in PAL regions in Jul ...

'' and '' WarioWare: Get It Together!'', coming from an isolated town called Luxeville. Despite her age, she is very smart and brave, considering how she's able to battle Wario Deluxe. Her goal in ''WarioWare Gold'' is to retrieve an artifact from her village stolen by Wario. She seems to view herself as a hero of sorts, as supported by her saying "Lulu...the greatest hero ever.." in her sleep during one of the cutscenes. She has been voiced by Alex Cazares in English and Mako Muto in Japanese. * is a

karaoke is a type of interactive entertainment system usually offered in nightclubs and bars, where people sing along to pre-recorded accompaniment using a microphone. Its musical content is an instrumental rendition of a well-known popular song. I ...

robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...

made by Dr. Crygor. Despite being a robot built for karaoke, the slightly mad doctor programs him to be a cleaning robot. Eventually, Mike overrides his cleaning program with his karaoke program by blowing on a pile of dust. Since ''Gold'', he has been voiced by

Robbie Daymond Robert Daymond Howard (born March 11, 1982) is an American voice actor who is mostly known for his roles in video games, animation, anime and audiobooks. Some of his best known roles include Tuxedo Mask in the Viz Media redub of ''Sailor Moon'', ...

in English and Ryōta Suzuki in Japanese. * is a

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

student with different part-time jobs in each game. Mona is quite adventurous, cheerful and culturally savvy. She always seems to be late to wherever she is going, often speeds on her scooter to make up for lost time, and uses the assistance of her animal companions to stop anyone trying to slow her down. Her former occupations include working at a gelato shop,

pizza delivery Pizza delivery is a service in which a pizzeria or pizza chain delivers a pizza to a customer. An order is typically made either by telephone or over the internet, in which the customer can request pizza type and size, and other items to be ...

girl on Mona Pizza,

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

,

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cheerleader, and a temple explorer. Also, Mona has a crush on Wario. Since ''Gold'', she has been voiced by

Stephanie Sheh Stephanie Sheh (born April 10, 1977) is an American voice actress, ADR director, writer, and producer who has worked for several major companies. She is often involved with work in English dubs of anime, cartoons, video games, and films. Her not ...

in English and

Ruriko Aoki is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Atomic Monkey. She voiced Riina Tada in ''The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls'', for which she received a top-ten charting single. She also voiced Ranra in '' The World Is Still Beautiful'', Yucho La in ' ...

in Japanese. * is an intelligent alien. He has an IQ of 300. The instruction manual for ''WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!'' and ''WarioWare Gold'' both imply that Orbulon was born in the year 0. Orbulon first wishes to conquer Earth, but after crash-landing on the planet, he settles into life on Earth and ends his mission of conquest. Since ''Gold'', he has been voiced by

Robbie Daymond Robert Daymond Howard (born March 11, 1982) is an American voice actor who is mostly known for his roles in video games, animation, anime and audiobooks. Some of his best known roles include Tuxedo Mask in the Viz Media redub of ''Sailor Moon'', ...

in English and Shinya Hamazoe in Japanese. * is the granddaughter of Dr. Crygor and dreams of becoming a great scientist. Her stage in ''WarioWare Gold'' reveals that she also has a hidden desire to become a singer. Penny sees her grandfather as an excellent scientist, though she also recognizes his eccentric nature. Since ''Gold'', she has been voiced by

Fryda Wolff Fryda Wolff (born May 25, 1982) is an American voice actress. Biography Wolff attended Las Vegas Academy of the Arts High School during the same era as alumni Matthew Gray Gubler, Rutina Wesley, Baron Vaughn, and Ne-Yo. She identifies as queer a ...

in English and Maya Enoyoshi in Japanese. * is a character that has his own game in almost every ''WarioWare'' title, each one varying in style. The original ''Pyoro'' game is Wario's inspiration to found WarioWare, Inc.. Pyoro resembles a round red bird with a white belly, short wings, and a very stretchy tongue. Pyoro 2 (from the GBA version) is the only game where Pyoro is yellow with a tail. Pyoro also appears as a title character in ''Bird & Beans'', the DSi re-release. * is first introduced in '' WarioWare: Smooth Moves''. He has flowing black hair with white streaks and a blue outfit. He practices martial arts and trains with his master, Master Mantis, in the hopes of becoming a kung-fu master. Since ''Gold'', Young Cricket has been voiced by

Robbie Daymond Robert Daymond Howard (born March 11, 1982) is an American voice actor who is mostly known for his roles in video games, animation, anime and audiobooks. Some of his best known roles include Tuxedo Mask in the Viz Media redub of ''Sailor Moon'', ...

in English and Ryōta Suzuki in Japanese, while Master Mantis has been voiced by Owen Thomas in English and Shinya Hamazoe in Japanese.

Minor characters

* is a female teenager who appears in 18-Volt's stage from ''

WarioWare Gold ''WarioWare Gold'' is a minigame compilation developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS family of video game consoles. The ninth installment in the ''WarioWare'' series, it was released in PAL regions in Jul ...

''. She steals a kid's video games, but 18-Volt gives them back after beating 13-Amp in a rap battle. 13-Amp has been voiced by

Cristina Vee Cristina Danielle Valenzuela (born July 11, 1987), known professionally as Cristina Vee, or Cristina "Vee" Valenzuela, is an American voice actress. She provides voices for English dubs of anime, animation, and video games. Early life and ed ...

in English and Yui Matsuyama in Japanese. *4.1 and 4.2 are Mona's two wolflike pets who made their first appearance in '' WarioWare: Touched!'' (2004). 4.1 and 4.2 only appear during Mona's story. When Vanessa sics The Dinosaurs, other members of her band, in their hawk-like plane on Mona when she travels to the Hawt House, they steal Art, a member of Mona's band, from her van. Pizza Joe comes in, along with her three other animals, to reclaim him. Unfortunately, Mona's animals fail miserably. Joe then distracts The Dinosaurs long enough for 4.1 and 4.2 to come in and use their soccer ball launcher on the Dinosaurs plane. Sadly, even they were unable to save Art from the Dinosaurs. 4.1 and 4.2 have not been seen since. * is a robot who appears in ''

WarioWare Gold ''WarioWare Gold'' is a minigame compilation developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS family of video game consoles. The ninth installment in the ''WarioWare'' series, it was released in PAL regions in Jul ...

'' that was created by Dr. Crygor before Mike. While on an expedition in Agate Forest, Dr. Crygor and Mike encounter Doris 1, who chases Dr. Crygor for abandoning her. After that, they take her back to Dr. Crygor's Lab, where she is forgiven. She was voiced by

Fryda Wolff Fryda Wolff (born May 25, 1982) is an American voice actress. Biography Wolff attended Las Vegas Academy of the Arts High School during the same era as alumni Matthew Gray Gubler, Rutina Wesley, Baron Vaughn, and Ne-Yo. She identifies as queer a ...

in English and

Makoto Koichi is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Tomorrow Jam. Starting off as a stage performer, she began voice acting in numerous video games and anime series, with her first main role being in the game ''Toys Drive''. Biography Koichi was born in ...

in Japanese. * is the owner of the Sweet Spot Bakery that

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 ...

visits in the game '' WarioWare: Touched!'' (2004). After the dentist Dr. Payne told Wario to stay away from all sweets, (since he got a cavity from eating too many sweets) he left the Dental Clinic and picked up the scent from the bakery. Ignoring what the dentist said, Wario asked Bridget the Baker to give him 10 pies. After a few bites Wario got another cavity and the pain sent him all the way to the Dental Clinic. While he flew away, Bridget bid him goodbye with a friendly "Thank you, come again." * is a female trainee of martial arts, who battles Young Cricket disguised as the leader of a penguin army in '' WarioWare: Move It!''. She has been voiced by

Erica Lindbeck Erica Lindbeck (born May 29, 1992) is an American voice actress best known as the third voice of Barbie in the eponymous media franchise, succeeding Kelly Sheridan in 2015 and being succeeded herself by America Young in 2018. She also works w ...

in English and

Ruriko Aoki is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Atomic Monkey. She voiced Riina Tada in ''The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls'', for which she received a top-ten charting single. She also voiced Ranra in '' The World Is Still Beautiful'', Yucho La in ' ...

in Japanese. * is a demon who appears in ''

WarioWare Gold ''WarioWare Gold'' is a minigame compilation developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS family of video game consoles. The ninth installment in the ''WarioWare'' series, it was released in PAL regions in Jul ...

'' who makes a monster very hungry. According to Red, he is never satisfied, mean and breathes fire. After being defeated by Ashley, he changes into a different person. His name is a play on the word "hungry". * is an anthropomorphic beagle who made his first appearance in '' WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!'' (2004). He usually appears alongside Mona, often as a co-worker. Like Mona, he has several occupations throughout the series, such as a gelato shop worker and clothing store owner. Since ''Gold'', he has been voiced by

Kyle Hebert Kyle Henry Hebert ( ) is an American voice actor known for his work in anime and video game series, such as the teenage/adult Gohan and the narrator in the Funimation dub of the ''Dragon Ball series'', Sōsuke Aizen in ''Bleach'', Ryu in the ...

in English and Kō Takeuchi in Japanese. * is a pop singer from '' WarioWare: Touched!'', her main appearance being as the antagonist of Mona's story, Cute Cuts. * is Diamond City's popular singer who made her first appearance in '' WarioWare: Twisted!'' (2004). She appears during Mona's storyline as the singer for Mona Pizza's commercial.

Other games

Wario has starred in puzzle games such as '' Mario & Wario'' and ''

Wario's Woods ''Wario's Woods'' is a puzzle video game developed and published by Nintendo. It was released in Japan and North America in 1994 and Europe in 1995 for both the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A spin-off ...

'' (the latter of which he was featured as the main antagonist while

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 ...

took the role as the main hero), as well as crossing over into the

Bomberman is a video game Media franchise, franchise created by Shinichi Nakamoto and Shigeki Fujiwara, originally developed by Hudson Soft and currently owned by Konami. The Bomberman (1983 video game), original game, also known as ''Bakudan Otoko'' (� ...

universe with '' Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!'' (1994).

Appearances in other game series

Wario is a playable character in the ''

Super Smash Bros. is a series of platform fighting video games published by Nintendo. Created by Masahiro Sakurai, the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series is a crossover featuring many characters from other video game series created by Nintendo and other develope ...

'' series, having appeared since ''

Super Smash Bros. Brawl ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 crossover fighting game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series and the successor to '' Super Smash Bros. Melee'', it wa ...

''. His default outfit in these games is his motorcyclist outfit as seen in the ''WarioWare'' games, although he can also wear his classic overalls. He can transform into Wario-Man after obtaining a Smash Ball. His motorcycle is used as one of his special attacks. Kat and Ana also make appearances as an Assist Trophy. In ''Brawl'', many stickers also represent ''WarioWare, Inc.'' — in addition to all of the above appearing as stickers and trophies, there are stickers of other ''WarioWare'' characters. Also, there is a ''WarioWare'' stage, named WarioWare, Inc., based on the Variety Tower location from '' WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!'' with several different microgames that run in the background, one of which features Jimmy T. Completing the tasks set by the games awards power-ups like invincibility or growth. This stage also features Ashley's Song, Mike's Theme and Mona Pizza's Song as background music. All three are featured in Japanese and English. In the game's ''Adventure Mode'', he is in league with the Subspace Army. Wario is once again playable in ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' and ''Wii U'', however he now appears as unlockable, instead of being available from the start as in the previous game. The 3DS version retains the WarioWare, Inc. stage from ''Brawl'', while the Wii U version has a stage based on the ''Gamer'' sub-game in '' Game & Wario''. Ashley, another character from ''WarioWare'', is also included as an Assist Trophy in ''

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and , both commonly referred to together as ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' or ''Smash 4'', are 2014 crossover fighting games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U video game cons ...

'', and ''

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeeding ' ...

'', and a downloadable Mii costume in ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' and ''Wii U''. The WarioWare series is heavily referenced in the ''Rhythm Heaven'' series. The Alien Bunnies from Orbulon's stage in ''Mega Microgame$'' make an appearance in ''

Rhythm Tengoku is a 2006 rhythm video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It was originally released on August 3, 2006 as the last first-party game to be released for the console. An arcade version of the game was reprogrammed a ...

'', a game developed by the same team, and also make brief appearances in its sequel, ''

Rhythm Heaven ''Rhythm Heaven'', known as ''Rhythm Tengoku Gold'' in Japan, ''Rhythm Paradise'' in Europe, and ''Rhythm World'' in Korea, is a Rhythm game, rhythm video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the second game in the ...

''. A later sequel, ''

Rhythm Heaven Megamix ''Rhythm Heaven Megamix'', known in Europe and Australia as ''Rhythm Paradise Megamix'', in Japan as and ''Rhythm World: The Best Plus'' in Korea, is a rhythm game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the fourth game ...

'' features two unlockable challenges called "Wario...Where?" that remix several of the minigames to feature characters from the ''WarioWare'' series.

Notes

References

{{Main franchises by Nintendo Video game franchises Nintendo franchises Video games about witchcraft Video game franchises introduced in 1994 WarioWare

''Wario Land'' series

''Wario Land'' games

''Wario Land'' characters

''WarioWare'' series

''WarioWare'' games

Microgames

''WarioWare'' characters

Major characters

Minor characters

Other games

Appearances in other game series

Notes

References