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List of Mario franchise characters

The Mario franchise is a video game series created by Nintendo. Nintendo is usually the developer and publisher of the franchise's games, but various games are developed by third-party companies, such as Hudson Soft and Intelligent Systems. Games in the Mario franchise primarily revolve around the protagonist Mario and often involve the trope of Bowser as the antagonist kidnapping Princess Peach, with Mario then rescuing her. Many characters have goals or plot arcs that vary between series; for example, the Luigi's Mansion games focus on Luigi ridding a haunted building of ghost-like creatures known as Boos, and Wario stars in games that center around his greed and desire for money and treasure.

For the main characters that appear in Mario-adjacent franchise Donkey Kong, see List of Donkey Kong characters.

The franchise began with Donkey Kong in 1981, where Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pauline originated. Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto built them off the base of characters from Popeye. Unable to license 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. in 1985, which introduced Toad 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.

Blooper – A sentry-like that chases after the player, debuting in Super Mario Bros.. Blooper Nannies, a variation of the Blooper, thrust smaller versions of themselves (Blooper Babies) toward the player as a form of attack.[120]

squid

Bob-omb – A 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,[121] as a boss character there and in Mario Party 9, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, and Mario Party: Star Rush.

bomb

Boo, known in Japan as Teresa – A spherical ghost enemy introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3 as "Boo Diddleys" (a pun on the name of American musician Bo Diddley),[122] which sneaks up on the player from behind while they are facing away from it. Inspired by a rage that Takashi Tezuka's wife went into after he came home from work late.[123] With Boo being one of the more popular Mario enemies, their image has been used in official Nintendo merchandise, such as plush dolls,[124] as well as cookie cutters.[125] Boo is considered one of the best enemies in the Mario series.[126][127]

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Bullet Bill – A 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.[120]

bullet

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.[128]

Shigeru Miyamoto

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.

Super Mario Bros.

Dry Bones – A walking Koopa Troopa that reassembles itself after being hit, unless defeated by a Super Star, a Cape Feather, Super Leaf, or an Ice Flower.[120]

skeleton

Fuzzy – A spiked creature which hangs in the air, and sometimes moves on rails. It debuted in .

Super Mario World

– A sentient creature that resembles a mushroom, 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.[129] 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.[130] The Goombas have their own king, King Goomba (also called Goomboss), introduced as the first boss in Paper Mario.

Goomba

Hammer Bro – A type of helmet-wearing Koopa who throws at the player.[131] It has several variations that throw other projectiles, such as the Boomerang Bro and the Fire Bro, and a bigger variant known as a Sledge Bro which can stun the player.[120]

hammers

Koopa Troopa

Lakitu – Official pronunciation: /ˈlækiːtuː/ (la-KEE-too). A cloud-riding Koopa with aviator goggles that drops an endless supply of Spinies.[120][133] It also appears in Mario spin-off games with various roles, including a track marshal on Mario Kart and a camera operator on Super Mario 64.[134]

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Magikoopa – A wizard Koopa capable of casting magic spells, turning blocks into foes, power-ups, or coins. Magikoopas first appeared in .[120] Kamek and Kammy Koopa are recurring individuals of this species, appearing in the Yoshi and Paper Mario series, respectively.

Super Mario World

Monty Mole – A -like enemy 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.

mole

– A leafy, stalk-topped carnivorous plant with sharp teeth that typically lives within pipes.[120] 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.[135]

Piranha Plant

Podoboo[137] – 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 Paper Mario games.

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Pokey – A spiked with detachable green or yellow body segments, which first appeared in the international Super Mario Bros. 2.[120]

cactus

Shy Guy – A timid masked creature wearing a robe, which comes in many different colors and variations. Introduced in the international , but more commonly portrayed as an enemy to Yoshi since Yoshi's Island. 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.[120] Voiced by Nintendo of America localization manager Nate Bihldorff.[138]

Super Mario Bros. 2

Spike – A green Koopa creature that attacks with spiked balls, which it throws out of its mouth. First appeared in .[120]

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. Inspired by the Japanese mythical wall monster, the .

nurikabe

Wiggler – A enemy introduced in Super Mario World, which changes color and charges at the player when stomped on. It is a playable character in Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Mario Kart Tour. Some Wigglers, known as Flutters, have butterfly wings.[120]

caterpillar

– a fan-made character based upon Bowser and Peachette

Bowsette

at the Super Mario Wiki, a Mario-centric wiki

List of characters