Characters in the Mario franchise

Mario[lower-alpha 1] (English: /ˈmɑːrioʊ, ˈmær-/, Italian: [ˈmarjo]; voiced by Charles Martinet) is an Italian-American plumber and the lead character of the series who was introduced in 1981. Seen as the hero of the franchise, Mario remains playable in most of the games and also appears in every Mario spin-off game including sports and kart racing.

Luigi[lower-alpha 2] (English: /luˈiːdʒi/, Italian: [luˈiːdʒi]; voiced by Charles Martinet) is an Italian-American plumber who is Mario's younger brother. He is playable in most of the Mario games. He is the main protagonist of the Luigi series in which is depicted as clumsy and frightful, confronting fears in order to help.

Princess Peach[lower-alpha 3] (formerly known as Princess Toadstool outside Japan; voiced by Samantha Kelly), is the princess and the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom,[1] depicted as sweet and optimistic. She is the lead female character from the Mario series since her introduction in 1985, and is the main protagonist of Princess Toadstool's Castle Run (1990) and Super Princess Peach (2006).

Toad[lower-alpha 4] (voiced by Samantha Kelly) is a small mushroom-like humanoid character who is Princess Peach's attendant or retainer, and a longtime protector of the Mushroom Kingdom. He remains playable in most of the Mario games and is the protagonist of Wario's Woods.

Yoshi[lower-alpha 5] (English: /ˈjoʊʃi, ˈjɒʃi/, once romanized as Yossy; voiced by Kazumi Totaka) is a green and anthropomorphic dinosaur. He has a long tongue which can be used to eat various enemies, and can turn the enemies he eats into eggs that can be thrown. Yoshi helps his friends during various adventures by acting as a rideable character for the heroes, though he can also be playable. He is a playable character in most of the Mario spin-offs and stars in his own series.

Princess Daisy[lower-alpha 6] (voiced by Deanna Mustard) is the princess and the ruler of Sarasaland[2] who first appeared in Super Mario Land. In various games, she may be depicted as a protagonist, a supporting character, or a lady in distress. Daisy is playable in most of the Mario spin-off games.

Donkey Kong[lower-alpha 7] (DK) (voiced by Takashi Nagasako) is an anthropomorphic gorilla from the franchise with the same name appearing in the Donkey Kong and Mario video game franchises. He is the leader and first member of the DK crew. Donkey Kong first appears in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong, but the modern incarnation introduced in Donkey Kong Country is revealed to be the grandson of that arcade original character.[3] He is playable in several Mario spin-off games as a cheerful and powerful character.

Diddy Kong[lower-alpha 8] (Diddy) (voiced by Katsumi Suzuki) is an anthropomorphic monkey from the Donkey Kong franchise, as well as Donkey Kong's nephew, sidekick and best friend appearing in the Donkey Kong and Mario video game franchises. Diddy is a British term meaning "little". He is the main protagonist of Diddy Kong Racing and its DS remake, a cheerful and kind character.

Rosalina[lower-alpha 9] (voiced by Laura Faye Smith) is a mysterious lady from an unknown location who is the adoptive mother of the Lumas.[4] She resides in the Comet Observatory and also the watcher of the cosmos in the Super Mario Galaxy series. Rosalina is either a supporting character or a protagonist, playable in most of the Mario spin-off games.

Toadette[lower-alpha 10] (voiced by Samantha Kelly) is a pink Toad girl who first appeared in the 2003 video game Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as a playable driver. Toadette has two long round pigtails and a dress to distinguish herself from Toad. Since Super Mario Odyssey, Toadette is a member of the Toad Brigade and has the role of an archivist.[5] Depending on the game, she is either a supporting character or a protagonist, playable in most of the Mario spin-off games.

Since New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Toadette can transform into Peachette, a form that highly resembles Princess Peach, with her power-up called the Super Crown. As Peachette, she can use Peach's floating jump to hover, and has the ability to perform a double-jump.

Birdo, known in Japan as Catherine[lower-alpha 11], (voiced by Kazumi Totaka) is a pink, anthropomorphic creature 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. Since then, she has been a recurring character in various franchise spin-offs and becomes Yoshi's partner. Birdo has evolved from antagonist into protagonist, playable in several Mario spin-offs.

Toadsworth[lower-alpha 12] (voiced by Charles Martinet) is an elderly Toad and Princess Peach's longtime steward and caretaker, first appearing in Super Mario Sunshine.

Captain Toad[lower-alpha 13] (voiced by Samantha Kelly) is an explorer and the leader of the Toad Brigade who first appears in Super Mario Galaxy. He makes several appearances within the Mario series, like in Super Mario Galaxy 2 or Super Mario Odyssey, and as a treasure tracker.[6] He makes several cameos within Super Smash Bros. and made his Mario Kart debut in Mario Kart Tour as a playable racer. He is the main protagonist in the series of levels in Super Mario 3D World called Captain Toad's Adventures and in the game Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

Pauline[lower-alpha 14] (voiced by Kate Higgins) debuted in Donkey Kong (1981),[7] Donkey Kong (1994) for Game Boy,[8] Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!. Pauline was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and other developers for the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong as the earliest example of a female with a speaking role in a video game, and is cited as a famous example of a damsel in distress in fiction.[9][10][11] She is the mayor of New Donk City, and a jazz singer.

Bowser[lower-alpha 15] or King Koopa (voiced by Kenneth W. James) is the king of the turtle-like Koopa race,[12] a selfish troublemaker who wants to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. He is Mario's nemesis and is the final boss of most Mario games. He is playable in all Mario spin-off games.

Dry Bowser[lower-alpha 16] 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, often serving as the final antagonist in the main games. Dry Bowser appears in Mario Party: Island Tour, and is a playable character in several of the Mario spin-off games.

Bowser Jr. (known as Koopa Jr.[lower-alpha 17] in Japan; voiced by Caety Sagoian), or sometimes simply Jr. or Junior, is the son of Bowser who first appeared in the 2002 game Super Mario Sunshine. He is often depicted as the secondary antagonist throughout the Mario series. Bowser Jr. looks up to his dad and shares his ambition to defeat Mario and take over the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser Jr. is playable in most of the spin-off Mario games and in Super Smash Bros. He is the main protagonist of Bowser Jr.'s Journey (2018) included in the remake of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.

Wario[lower-alpha 18] (English: /ˈwɑːrioʊ, ˈwær-/; voiced by Charles Martinet) is an obese, muscular, hot-tempered, and greedy man. He is Mario's yellow-and-purple clad arch-rival. He initially debuted as an antagonist but over the years has become an anti-hero, even being playable in a few titles. Wario is the protagonist of the Wario series and is playable in most of the Mario spin-off games where he is Waluigi's partner. His name is portmanteau of "warui", the Japanese word for "bad", and "Mario".

Waluigi[lower-alpha 19] (English: /ˌwɑːluˈiːdʒi/; voiced by Charles Martinet) is a tall, thin, and mischievous man who was introduced in Mario Tennis as Wario's partner. 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.

The Koopalings[lower-alpha 20] are seven siblings who first appeared as boss characters in the 1988 game Super Mario Bros. 3. Their individual names are Iggy, Larry, Lemmy, Ludwig, Morton, Roy, and Wendy. They were originally depicted as the children of the series antagonist Bowser and later to be referred as his minions. They have since appeared in subsequent Super Mario games, spin-off Mario games, and the Super Smash Bros. series.

Kamek[lower-alpha 21] (English: /kəˈmɛk, ˈkæmɪk/; voiced by Atsushi Masaki) is a Magikoopa who acts as Bowser's caretaker during his childhood and one of his high-ranking minions afterwards. He is from the Yoshi series. He can perform various feats of magic, such as self-duplication, teleportation, shooting magical blasts, and changing the size of other creatures. In Japan, the character shares his name with his species, Kamek (which are known outside Japan as Magikoopas), which can lead to confusion surrounding his appearances. This will sometimes lead to a literal translation, as in Super Princess Peach where a boss is described as "A Kamek made huge by magic". Some Japanese sources such as the guide for Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island call him "Fang" to distinguish him from regular Magikoopas.

Boom Boom[lower-alpha 22] is Pom Pom's partner, male counterpart and faithful minion of Bowser. He first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3, then in Super Mario 3D World, and is playable in several Mario spin-off games.

Pom Pom[lower-alpha 23] is Boom Boom's partner, female counterpart, and faithful minion of Bowser. She debuted in Super Mario 3D Land as an Airship boss, then Super Mario 3D World, and is playable in several Mario spin-off games, including Super Mario Party.[13]

King Boo[lower-alpha 24] (voiced by Toru Asakawa) is the king of the Boos and the main antagonist in the Luigi's Mansion series. He plays minor roles, occasionally playable, in various other Mario games, including the Mario Kart and Mario Party series. King Boo's first major debuted role was as the final boss of Luigi's Mansion, where he disguised himself as Bowser.

He is 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, and is a playable character in Mario Kart Tour. A similar character named Big Boo is an enemy in Super Mario World and a boss in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Super Mario 64 DS.

Baby Luma[lower-alpha 25] (voiced by Yuya Takezawa) is Mario's main companion in Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel Super Mario Galaxy 2. He is among a group of star-shaped beings known as Lumas, who appear in both games.

Cappy[lower-alpha 26] (voiced by Shohei Komatsu) is the secondary protagonist in Super Mario Odyssey. Cappy is a Bonneter who meets Mario in the Cap Kingdom, when he pleas for Mario to assist him in rescuing his little sister Tiara. Cappy has the ability to "capture" enemies and other creatures, allowing Mario to take control of them for periods of time.

Cappy appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as Mario's side taunt and a Spirit. He quickly throws Cappy and returns it to his head similar to in Super Mario Odyssey.

Tiara[lower-alpha 27] (voiced by Yuki Kodaira) is the secondary damsel in distress in Super Mario Odyssey. She is the sister of Cappy, who is kidnapped by Bowser as a gift to Princess Peach to wear on their wedding day.

Perry[lower-alpha 28] is a magical talking parasol who appears in the game Super Princess Peach. With his magical abilities, he helps Princess Peach to save her friends from Bowser. Perry was a young boy with magical powers who lived with an old man who adopted and took care of him. During a walk with his adoptive parent, he was turned into an umbrella by a mysterious stranger and the two were separated. He was later found by Toadsworth.

Perry appears as a sticker and a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and as a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He makes a cameo in Densetsu no Stafy 4.

Honey Queen[lower-alpha 29] is the queen of all the Honeybees. She is an extremely large bee and always speaks using nosism. She appears in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 where she rules over all the Honeybees in the Honeyhive, Honeybloom, and Honeyhop Galaxies, and as a heavyweight unlockable driver in Mario Kart 7. She is a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Dorrie[lower-alpha 30] is a large, friendly swimming blue reptile debuting in Super Mario 64. He helps Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Yoshi ride across water or reach higher areas. Super Mario Odyssey explicitly refers to Dorries as a species and it features two additional yellow and violet Dorries. Dorrie returns in New Super Mario Bros. in two sizes.

Plessie[lower-alpha 31] is a friendly character resembling a dinosaur that debuts in Super Mario 3D World to allow the playable characters to ride him through certain levels. Plessie appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a support spirit.

Poochy[lower-alpha 32] is Yoshi's dog helper. Poochy does not have any ears or a nose, and he has big lips. Poochy is a good swimmer and can sniff out hidden items for Yoshi. Poochy can also do things that Yoshi cannot, such as crossing over dangerous terrain (like spikes), and jumping over walls to give Yoshi a boost out of his wall jumps. Poochy's first appearance was in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Professor Elvin Gadd (Professor Oya Mā[lower-alpha 33] in Japan; voiced by Kazumi Totaka), more commonly known as E. Gadd, is a scientist who, with his various inventions, helps Luigi save his brother Mario and the mansion. His name is a pun on the Japanese interjection Oyamā![lower-alpha 34], meaning "Good heavens!" His name is also inspired by Nintendo game designer Yoshiyuki Oyama.[14] The English translations accordingly adapted the name to a pun on the expression "egad"! His first appearance was in Luigi's Mansion for Nintendo GameCube, in which he investigates a haunted mansion that mysteriously appeared by his laboratory. To help him study the ghosts in the mansion, he uses the "Poltergust 3000", a high-powered vacuum cleaner that can suck in and capture ghosts, and the "Game Boy Horror", an invention for tracking and detecting objects such as Boos. He lends it to Luigi and helps him on his quest.

Gadd reprises his supporting role in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon in a remodeled lab to assist Luigi again with his "Poltergust 5000" and a "Dual Scream", which replaces the Game Boy Horror. The Nintendo 3DS remake of the original Luigi’s Mansion introduces a new invention: a lime-green doppelgänger of Luigi, called "Gooigi", which can be brought along as a partner in local co-op play.

In the third installment, Luigi's Mansion 3, E. Gadd provides Luigi with a new Poltergust model, the "Poltergust G-00", which has Gooigi stored inside it, as well as a "Virtual Boo", which replaces both the Game Boy Horror and Dual Scream. Luigi rescues him at the time when his friends were captured by Hellen Gravely at a hotel called The Last Resort.

He is mentioned in Super Mario Sunshine but not seen, but his inventions, a Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device or F.L.U.D.D. and Magic Brush, are used by Mario and Bowser Jr. respectively. E. Gadd creates a Time Machine in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and various inventions as rewards for making bean coffees at the Starbeans Cafe in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its 3DS remake. In Mario Party 6, E. Gadd is featured on a party board called E. Gadd's Garage.

Super Mario Maker features E. Gadd as an unlockable Mystery Mushroom costume, made available through an update.

Nabbit[lower-alpha 35] is a purple rabbit-like thief with round eyes, long ears, and black limbs. He also wears a white handkerchief with a drawing of a large mouth with sharpened teeth, similar to Bowser Jr.'s mask (though despite this he does not work for Bowser), as well as orange shoes and white gloves.who first appears in New Super Mario Bros. U, where he steals items from Toad Houses and the Mario Bros. have to chase him through various levels to capture him and get them back. He's the main source of P-Acorn power-ups, making it worth the player's time to catch him. In New Super Luigi U, he's promoted to Playable as the fourth character available for multiplayer. He returned to New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe as a fifth playable character along with Toadette, Luigi, Yellow Toad and Mario. He is also playable in Bowser Jr.'s Journey. Nabbit also appears as a stage hazard in the Mushroom Kingdom U stage throughout the Super Smash Bros. series.

The Sprixie Princesses[lower-alpha 36] are the rulers of the Sprixie Kingdom and the Sprixies, a race of fairies debuting in Super Mario 3D World. The green Sprixie Princess refers to the others as her followers, and serves as the game's narrator. Each Sprixie Princess is guarded in one of the first seven worlds' castles, and defeating each boss will release each imprisoned Sprixie. When rescued, the Sprixie Princess graciously reveals the path to the next world, and ultimately unlocks a new set of final worlds. The green Sprixie Princess is also playable in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash.

The Toad Brigade[lower-alpha 37] is a group of five Toads that aid Mario through some games, starting with Super Mario Galaxy. They are led by Captain Toad. Later the group would expand to include Toadette, bringing the membership up to six. The members consist of Captain Toad, Toadette, Hint Toad (blue), Yellow Toad, Banktoad (green), and Mailtoad (magenta).

The Broodals[lower-alpha 38] are a group of villainous anthropomorphic rabbits who double as wedding planners in Super Mario Odyssey. They were hired by Bowser in order to stop Mario from reaching him.

Madame Broode[lower-alpha 39] is the leader who attacks Mario with her golden pet Chain Chomp, referred to as Chain Chompikins. Topper is a squat green hat-wearing rabbit who is the field leader of the Broodals, specializing in client relations. Hariet is a female who uses bombs as a pyrotechnics expert. Rango is a tall and lanky Broodal with a yellow hat, and serving as the group's bouncer. Spewart is a poison-spewing Broodal in a blue hat who is the group's entertainer. RoboBrood is a giant robot that is piloted by the four Broodals.

Draggadons[lower-alpha 40] are dragons first appearing in the game Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

Cackletta[lower-alpha 41] is the main antagonist in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its 3DS remake. She is an evil sorceress who takes the Beanstar and Peach's voice in the Beanbean Kingdom. After sustaining heavy injuries, she controls Bowser's body (known as Bowletta) and dies after the explosion of Bowser's castle.

Fawful[lower-alpha 42] is a recurring antagonist in the Mario & Luigi series. The character is considered to be "insane," and served as the secondary antagonist of Superstar Saga and the main antagonist of Bowser's Inside Story.

Petey Piranha, known as Boss Pakkun[lower-alpha 43] in Japan,[15] is a large, powerful Piranha Plant, and the result of a mutation. Whereas normal Piranha Plants usually grow from pipes, Petey's leaves and roots have grown into foot-like and arm-like appendages, which allows him to use objects such as tennis rackets and golf clubs. He can also use his leaves to fly around in the air. He first appeared as the primary boss of Bianco Hills in the game Super Mario Sunshine. He has since appeared as a boss or a playable character in several Mario games and spin-off games.

Foreman Spike[lower-alpha 44] is the angry foreman of the construction site where Mario and Luigi worked in Wrecking Crew. Rather than help them, Spike continuously tried to hinder the brothers from doing their job. He is a bearded villain who always wears sunglasses, although in Wrecking Crew '98, he did not have a beard.

Kammy Koopa[lower-alpha 45] is an elderly Magikoopa who acts as an advisor and babysitter for Bowser in the first two Paper Mario games. She possesses the usual Magikoopa powers, and is primarily distinguished by her ability to summon yellow blocks, which she has used to both impede and combat Mario. She first appeared in Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64, helping Bowser by leaving enemies in Mario's way, transporting Bowser into the Star Spirit Sanctuary, and augmenting his size and power in the final battle. After being defeated by the Star Kid, Twink, she continued to work for him. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, she acted as Bowser's second-in-command. Generally, her position is very similar with Kamek who appeared earlier than her, which possibly means why she is replaced by him in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. IGN rated her as one of the weirdest Mario characters.[16]

King Bob-omb[lower-alpha 46] is the king of the Bob-ombs. He is mostly recognized for being the first boss fought in the game Super Mario 64 and its remake. Guarding the Power Star, which Bowser entrusted him with, he does not give it up without fighting the player. After his debut, King Bob-omb became a recurring boss in later games, specifically spin-off games such as Mario Party 9 and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. King Bob-omb, like other certain bosses, takes pride in his royal status.

Koopa Kids[lower-alpha 47] (also known as Baby Bowsers) are the minions of Bowser who have only appeared in the Mario Party series. They appeared in the first seven installments (as well as Mario Party Advance) as major antagonists in the story modes. In the first three games, they are known as Baby Bowsers. A playable Koopa Kid appears in Mario Party 5 and 6.

Reznor[lower-alpha 48] are four fire-breathing dinosaurs that made their debut in Super Mario World. According to the game's instruction manual, they were cursed by Bowser. They are mid-bosses that Mario and Luigi fight in fortresses found everywhere on Dinosaur Land. They are now found in the Mushroom Kingdom since their appearance in New Super Mario Bros. 2. Similar to how the Koopalings are named after various musicians, Reznor are named after Trent Reznor of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails.

Tatanga[lower-alpha 49] is an alien villain. His first appearance is in Super Mario Land on the Game Boy. In the game, he invades Sarasaland and kidnaps Princess Daisy in his spaceship.

Wart[lower-alpha 50] is an anthropomorphic frog king who debuted in 1987's Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic. The game was converted into 1988's Super Mario Bros. 2 for its North American release. In both versions, Wart creates his own monsters with a device known as the "Dream Machine," appoints himself ruler of the land of Subcon, and enslaves its inhabitants. He has a severe weakness to vegetables.[17] Wart also made a cameo appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening with his original Japanese name.[18]

Wingo[lower-alpha 51] is the main antagonist in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. According to game director Shinya Hiratake, Wingo was based on crows, a species of bird stereotypically depicted as interested in shiny objects. He is first seen stealing a Power Star from Captain Toad and Toadette, and flies away while Toadette holds on to the star, thus capturing her.