While lying in bed playing my Nintendo Switch, I found myself thinking about the breadth of Super Mario Bros. characters Nintendo has created over the years. And it’s a lot of characters! That is why I created this guide of the top 5 Super Mario Bros. characters everyone should know. Let’s just see how many you know, shall we?
The 5 most recognizable and important Super Mario Bros. characters are Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and Donkey Kong.
Combined, these Super Mario Bros. mainstays have appeared in over a hundred games. That’s a lot of games!
List of the Top 5 Recognizable Super Mario Bros. Characters:
- Mario
- Luigi
- Princess Peach
- Bowser
- Donkey Kong
Maybe you know of these characters or maybe you don’t. Regardless, I’m going to break down who each character is and give examples of their most popular games for your knowledge and entertainment.
Let’s dive in!
Mario
First appearance: Mario debuted in the arcade game Donkey Kong released in 1981.
Fun Fact: Mario is also known as “Jumpman” because jumping is his trademark move.
Who is he? Nintendo’s most recognizable star and the main character of the Super Mario Bros. franchise.
Traits: Brave. Short. Wears red.
Mario is Nintendo’s most recognizable character. Period.
He wears a red hat with the letter “M” printed on it, a red shirt, white gloves, blue overalls, and brown work-boots.
His attire is a nod at his handy-man, every-man persona and prior occupations.
He used to be a plumber, a construction worker, a boxing referee, a sports referee, the host of parties, a kart racer, a tournament brawler, a dancer, and much more.
His willingness to do just about anything is what makes him relatable. No job is beneath Mario which has led him to headline many, many video games.
Did I already say many?
- Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, and 3 revolutionized the gaming industry in the 1980s and early 1990s with its advanced graphics and gameplay at the time.
- Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System released in the 1990s introduced Mario’s trusty sidekick dinosaur, Yoshi, to the world along with a host of series staples and is still regarded as one of the best Mario games of all time.
- Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 in the late 1990s was one of the first 3D action, platform games that so many other companies tried to copy but failed to do so.
- Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 for the Wii, the New Super Mario Bros. series, and the Mario Maker series have all been highly acclaimed masterpieces that flipped the Mario series on its head.
If you enjoy Nintendo games, you have probably seen Mario. He is a heroic lead who is brave and capable of performing many different tasks.
Not only has Mario been in his own starring games, he has been playable in the super successful Mario Kart and Mario Party games as well as the party, fighting game Super Smash Bros. series.
In the games that he is playable, he usually is a well rounded character meant for beginners or player looking for a balanced selection for their play session.
Luigi
First appearance: Luigi originally appeared in the Mario Bros. arcade game released in 1983.
Fun fact: Luigi’s name is a play of the Japanese word “ruiji” which means similar and is why Luigi looked similar to Mario (but with different colors) in earlier games.
Who is he? The secondary, playable character in the Super Mario Bros. series.
Traits: Tall. Timid. Wears green.
Luigi is a timid yet brave character from the Super Mario Bros. universe.
He is Mario’s younger, taller brother and wears green instead of red.
He dons a green hat with the letter “L” printed on it, a green shirt, blue overalls, and brown worker shoes.
Just like his older, shorter brother, Luigi is a hard working every-man that tries his hardest no matter the job.
- Super Mario Bros. 2 released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the late 1980s and made Luigi a playable character which gave him his now trademark high jumping skills.
- Mario is Missing! released in the early 1990s for various systems put Luigi in an educational starring role to find his missing brother.
- Luigi’s Mansion released in the early 2000s for the Nintendo GameCube pushed Luigi in his first, major starring role in the blockbuster title that had Luigi searching a haunted mansion for his missing brother. Thanks to this game, Luigi became known as a scaredy-cat.
Luigi is timid and often gets forgotten about, trying to claw his way out of his older brother’s shadow.
But, he is just as heroic as Mario and can even give passing drivers in Mario Kart a death stare to prove he has an edge to him.
Luigi is often a more complex character to play as in games, can jump higher than his brother, and is given distinct characteristics to differentiate him from his similar looking sibling.
So, the next time you are picking a driver in Mario Kart or a party-goer in Mario Party, don’t forget about the tall, timid brother.
Pick Luigi. He deserves it.
Princess Peach
First appearance: Princess Peach first appeared in Super Mario Bros. released in 1985.
Fun fact: She was briefly known as Princess Toadstool in America up until the mid 1990s.
Who is she? The primary female protagonist of the Super Mario Bros. series.
Traits: Generous. Elegant. Wears pink
Princess Peach is a happy generous Princess of the fictional world called the Mushroom Kingdom–the Mushroom Kingdom is the land of which most of the Super Mario Bros. series takes place.
She normally wears a gold crown with colorful jewels and a puffy pink dress that flows to her ankles.
True: in most games, Princess Peach takes the role of damsel in distress, but she has also shown her fierce and brave side throughout the years.
- Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Nintendo Entertainment System made the elegant princess playable and provided her with her trademark ability to float in the air for long periods of time.
- Super Smash Bros Melee released for the Nintendo GameCube in the early 2000s made Princess Peach a playable fighter and she has been in every Super Smash Bros. game since.
- Super Princess Peach released for the Nintendo DS in the mid 2000s was the first time Princess Peach was the playable main character of her own game.
Princess Peach is usually a fast, agile, and medium weight character that is technique or skill oriented as opposed to action oriented.
She is an awesome driver in the Mario Kart games, tennis ball player Mario Tennis series, and Super Smash Bros. fighter.
Overall, Princess Peach packs a punch and can be played as in most Super Mario Bros. branded spin-off games.
It pays to become familiar with this elegant, yet highly capable, princess.
Bowser
First appearance: Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985.
Fun Fact: Bowser is often called King Koopa and is known as Great Demon King Koopa in Japan.
Who is he? Mario’s main nemesis.
Traits: Large. Spiky. Breathes flames.
Bowser is Mario’s nemesis and the king of the enemies populating the Mushroom Kingdom, the fictional realm Super Mario Bros. takes place in.
Bowser is a giant turtle-like creature with horns.
He has a green shell on his back with spikes on it, a stubby tail with spikes on it, and he even wears spiked bracelets.
He is one aggressive dude Mario and Luigi have dealt with for years.
- Super Mario Bros. released for the Nintendo Entertainment System saw Bowser as the main boss and cemented him as the main adversary of the Super Mario Bros. series ever since.
- Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars is a groundbreaking collaboration game (released in 1996 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System) between Nintendo and role playing game masters Square Enix that introduced Bowser as a playable character who sides with Mario, a task unthinkable up until this time.
- Super Smash Bros. Melee released in the early 2000s and made Bowser a playable fighter, a first for the series. Bowser has been a playable character ever since.
Bowser is a tyrant who is bent on foiling Mario’s heroic deeds while simultaneously kidnapping Princess Peach any chance he gets.
This giant turtle is often a heavy character who packs a strong attack whether he is selected in Super Smash Bros. or the Mario Kart series.
One battle with or against this giant brute and you will forever remember the name Bowser, King of the Koopas.
Donkey Kong
First appearance: Donkey Kong released in 1981
Fun fact: Donkey Kong was named after “donkey” for stubborn and “kong” for ape.
Who is he? Mario’s first nemesis.
Traits: Large. Hairy. Wears a necktie but is otherwise naked (he is an animal after all).
Donkey Kong is a giant ape that originally appeared as Mario’s rival.
This giant creature has brown fur and wears a long, red necktie with his initials printed on it.
One look at the large brute will cause Mario and Luigi to cower in fear.
- Donkey Kong released in 1981 in arcades as an instant classic and introduced Mario’s rival to the world in grand fashion.
- Donkey Kong Country released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and re-introduced a redesigned Donkey Kong to the entire world.
- Additionally, Donkey Kong has appeared in numerous other Super Mario Bros. spin-off titles including Mario Tennis, Mario Party, Mario Kart, and the Super Smash Bros. series of games.
Donkey Kong is often a heavy and strong character in the games he is in.
Additionally, he is usually an advanced character, slow moving, and requires great timing and patience to use.
If you give the ol’ Kong a try, however, he might just suit your play style.
Super Mario Super Knowledge!
Congrats, reader! You now you know the top 5 most recognizable and important Super Mario Bros. characters. From Mario himself to Mario’s first rival Donkey Kong, you now have the ability to recognize these characters on first sight no matter what game, advertisement, or product they appear on.
By Wally
(Screenshots taken by me. Images sourced from product pages on the Nintendo website. Logos, characters, and images are owned by their respective owners)
