Mario is the main protagonist of the Mario series and Nintendo's primary mascot. Normally the hero, Mario uses his legendary jump and combat abilities to defend the peaceful inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom and the world from powerful and foul villains such as Bowser. When not adventuring, Mario participates in a variety of sporting events, parties and other fun activities with his younger twin brother Luigi and thousands of friends from his many adventures. Mario is one of the most famous video game characters.
Mario has appeared in multiple crossover titles alongside Sonic the Hedgehog (in particular, the Mario & Sonic sports subseries). In these games, he is voiced by Charles Martinet, who also voices Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi from the Mario series.
Early rivalry
Nintendo was once business rivals with Sega; this rivalry peaked during the 16-bit era (the era of the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis). As such, Nintendo and Sega often attempted to put each other down through their games. Examples include Sonic's appearance in Donkey Kong Country 2, to the left, and the blue hedgehog enemies of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island called "Harry Hedgehog". In the Sonic children's book, Secret Admirer, there is a sign outside Robotropolis that reads "No Nintendo Game Playing".
In a commercial for the original Sonic the Hedgehog game, Bernita Stokes, President of H.A.G. (Humans Against Genesis), criticizes the game by saying, "Why can't he be more like that nice boy Mario?" while an animated Sonic is seen on the cover of the box mimicking her (probably hinting that Sonic always had some resentment towards Mario). Sonic then blows her a raspberry and runs out of the box and into the TV screen which makes her angry, calling him a little brat.
Another commercial for the same game features a salesman at a video game store, trying to sell the then-newly released Super Nintendo Entertainment System with the Super Mario World video game to a customer at its launch price of $199.95. The game is shown alongside a Sega Genesis playing Sonic the Hedgehog, being sold for $149.99. The speedy action of Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as Sega Genesis' lower price grab the customer's attention, and the customer decides to buy the Genesis and Sonic the Hedgehog game, disappointing the salesman, who desperately wanted him to buy the Super Nintendo and the Super Mario World game instead.
Game appearances
Mario & Sonic series
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
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Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is the first official cross-over between the worlds two most popular video game characters. In this game, Mario comes as an All-Around Type character along with Luigi, Amy and Blaze. His emblem is the red trademark "M" that he has worn on his hat for several decades. His stats are as following:
Name | Skill Type | Stats | Flag |
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Mario | All Around |
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Mario returns in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, once again as an all-around type character. Being the third time they have met, Mario and Sonic seem to of built a friendship out of their rivalry. This is indicated by the game's opening cinematic which depicts Mario and Sonic coordinating with each other to thwart the plans of Dr. Eggman and Wario. Mario and Sonic also cooperate in the story mode of this game (Nintendo DS version only) where they work together to rescue the Snow Spirits from Eggman, Bowser and all their villainous associates.
Stats
Icon | Name | Ability Type | Wii Stats | DS Stats | Special | Emblem |
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Mario | All-Around |
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Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
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Mario makes his fourth appearance alongside Sonic in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. For a third time, Mario is yet again an all-around character. His relationship has seem to grown more friendlier than the last 2 games, as they are seen atop Big Ben together, giving each other a high-5. Mario and Sonic once again cooperate in the story mode version (Nintendo 3DS version.) where they clear the colorful fog in all over London along with Luigi and Tails.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Mario appears in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games as an all-around type.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Mario returns in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the fifth installment of the Mario & Sonic series. He is, yet again an all-around type character.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Mario will appear as one of the playable characters.
Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Making his 3rd playable appearance in the Smash Bros. series, Mario is the lead character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He is middle-weight and very well balanced having a good compromise between speed, agility and strength.
Mario also appears in the game as some of the trophies and several Stickers.
Name | Image | Game(s) | Description/ effect |
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Mario |
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A familiar overall-clad figure who is Nintendo's flagship character. His courage and jumping ability have seen him through countless adventures. He's a multitalented plumber with the knowledge of a physician, a top-notch golfer, and a veteran tennis umpire. Is his jumping prowess a boon from his girder-climbing days? | |
Mario Fanale | Mario with a Smash Ball, unleashing his ultimate attack. The twin dragons of flame he releases wallop all characters in range. The flames spread up and down, so it's best to release them from the edge of the screen at an appropriate height. His flaming eyes are proof of his excitement for this explosive attack. | ||
Striker Mario | A team captain in Super Mario Strikers, which features combat- style soccer that allows fighting and items. Mario proves to be a great all-around player, well balanced on offense and defense, and he wields a critical shot—the Mega Strike—that can chalk up a maximum of six goals! Mario is easily identified by the "M" marks on his spikes. | ||
Paper Mario |
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A legendary hero whose adventure unfolds when he sets out to rescue Princess Peach from the nefarious clutches of Count Bleck. He has the ability to flip the world from 2-D to 3-D and back again. If he grabs a Mega Star, he'll transform into a pixelated giant Mario. In this state, he's invulnerable and capable of stomping through enemies and obstacles with ease. | |
Baby Mario | File:TrBaby mario.jpg |
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Mario as a baby...a crybaby at that. Although he lacks overalls, we can see the trademark red hat even at this young age. Everyone's favorite hero was riding Yoshi and adventuring from his youngest days, and even as a baby, it's clear that Mario had quite the nose. |
Name | Image | Game | Effect |
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Super Mario Bros. | File:Super Mario Bros Sticker.jpg | Super Mario Bros. | [Arm, Leg] - Attack +15 |
Mario & Luigi | Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga | [Flame] - Resistance +19 | |
Mario & Yoshi | Super Mario Sunshine | [Specials: Indirect] - Attack +13 | |
Mario | Mario Kart DS | [Leg] - Attack +22 | |
Mario | Mario Superstar Baseball | Carry Home-Run Bat | |
Mario | Super Paper Mario | [Electric] - Attack +20 | |
Raccoon Mario | File:Mario 140.png | Super Mario Bros. 3 | Flinch Resistance +112 |
Dr. Mario | File:Mario 37.png | Nintendo Puzzle Collection | [Head] - Attack +18 |
Baby Mario | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island | [Flame] - Attack +5 | |
Bubble Baby Mario | File:BubblyFreak.png | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island | [Bite] - Attack +6
Usable by: Yoshi, Wario, Pokémon Trainer, Wolf |
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
Mario makes his return appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, playable from the start. He retains the "Mario Finale" Final Smash.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Mario reappears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable character.
In other media
Sonic the Comic
Sonic the Comic introduced the Marxio Brothers, characters that seem to be a combination of the Mario Bros. and the classic comedians, The Marx Brothers.
Mario Kart Double Dash Bonus Disk
In 2003, Mario Kart Double Dash!! was released for the Nintendo GameCube. In the US, if people were to pre-order this game they would receive a complimentary bonus disc which had demos and videos of then-upcoming GameCube games. One of the major draws of this disc was a 2 level playable demo of Sonic Heroes where players could control either Team Sonic or Team Dark. Also appearing on this disc were multiple mini games from Mario Party 5.[1]
DiC Entertainment
Both Mario and Sonic have had three cartoon series produced by DiC. One major difference is that while Mario's three series (The Super Mario Super Show, Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World) were all consistent with its cast and tone of the shows, Sonic's three cartoon series (Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Underground) were all completely different from each other, with separate casts of characters, tones and themes.
In more recent years, DiC has been releasing these cartoons on DVD and have been very openly compiling episodes from Mario's shows with those of Sonic's shows. Most notable is an Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 / Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 1 DVD compilation box set (released on the date of December 4, 2007). Other DVDs such as The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, King Koopa Katastrophe includes full episodes of Sonic Underground as special features. Another was a Sonic Underground DVD titled Dr. Robotnik's Revenge which included a Super Mario Bros. Super Show episode as a special feature.
Trivia
- Yuji Naka admitted that he loves the 1985 title Super Mario Bros. and running through the game as fast as he could, which inspired him to create Sonic the Hedgehog.[2]
- Sumo Digital considered making Mario a guest star in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing exclusively on the Wii version. But SEGA rejected the idea, not wanting to cross contaminate with the Mario & Sonic Series.
- A background character in Sonic the Hedgehog #221 bears a strong resemblance to Mario. Outside of the obvious similarity in clothing, the character in question is also a raccoon, akin to how Mario can transform into a raccoon when using a Super Leaf.
- Despite a life-size poster measuring at 5'1", crossover artwork shows Sonic (who stands at 3'3") to be at least two or three inches taller.
- By using a Sonic amiibo in Super Mario Maker, Mario can transform into a 16-bit form of Sonic with the use of the Mystery Mushroom.
- It is also possible to obtain the costume in-game by completing the 100 Mario Challenge mode.
Quotes
- Mario!
- It's-a Mario time!
- Yes! I'm the winner!
- Oh no! I lost!
- Fantastico!
- That's it, so nice!
- Oh, nice!
- Oh, Mario get you next time!
- Wahoo! I'm the winner!
- Aaah, mamma mia!
- Here we go!
External links
- Mario on the Mario Wiki
References
- ↑ http://sonicstadium.org/articles/decade-moment-the-mariokart-double-dash-demo-disc
- ↑ Oliver, Tristan (24 September 2010). Yuji Naka Speaks of Super Mario’s Inspiration. Retrieved on 23 April 2018.
Sega characters | AiAi | AGES | Akira Yuki | Amigo | Alex Kidd | Axel | Baby | B.D. Joe | Beat | Billy Hatcher | ChuBach | ChuBei | Chuih | ChuPea | Dremagen | Gilius Thunderhead | GonGon | Gum | Jacky Bryant | Joe Musashi | MeeMee | Nights | Opa-Opa | Pudding | Puyo | Reala | Ryo Hazuki | Sarah Bryant | Ulala | Vyse |
---|---|
Nintendo characters | Bowser | Bowser Jr. | Daisy | Diddy Kong | Donkey Kong | Larry Koopa | Ludwig von Koopa | Luigi | Mario | Mii | Peach | Rosalina | Toad | Waluigi | Wario | Wendy O. Koopa | Yoshi |
Mega Man characters | Axl | Bass | Dr. Light | Dr. Wily | Mega Man | Proto Man | Roll | Rush | X | Zero |
Other | Andronic | Danica Patrick | Santa Claus | Xbox Live Avatar |