List of Mario franchise characters
The Mario franchise is a media franchise 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 Intelligent Systems and Nintendo Cube. Games in the Mario franchise primarily revolve around the main protagonist Mario and often involve the trope of Bowser as the main 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.
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. Due to technical difficulties portraying 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.
Main characters
Mario
is the main protagonist character of the Mario franchise and the mascot of Nintendo as a whole. He originally appeared in 1981's Donkey Kong as "Jumpman", designed by Shigeru Miyamoto. While Mario was initially a carpenter, he later took the role of a plumber. From 1992 to 2023, Mario was voiced by Charles Martinet. In most of his appearances, Mario rescues a damsel in distress from an antagonist. Mario's younger brother is Luigi, and his greedy rival is Wario. Yoshi serves as Mario's steed in several games, including Super Mario World. Since his introduction, Mario's abilities include jumping, such as onto an enemy's head as an attack. Mario uses power-ups, such as the Super Mushroom, the Super Star, and the Fire Flower. Several power-ups grant Mario the ability to fly, such as the Super Leaf from Super Mario Bros. 3. According to Guinness World Records, Mario is the second most recognizable video game character after Pac-Man. Mario has seen numerous cultural appearances, such as during the closing ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics, where Japanese prime minister Shinzō Abe appeared dressed as the character. Mario has appeared as the protagonist in two feature films: the live-action Super Mario Bros. in 1993 and the animated box office hit The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023 and in the upcoming The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in 2026.Mario was portrayed in 1993's Super Mario Bros. in live-action by the late Bob Hoskins, and voiced by Chris Pratt in 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie and 2026's The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Luigi
is the younger twin brother of Mario, who Luigi feels a sense of reverence towards. In the 1983 game Mario Bros., Luigi was introduced as the second player character, with many similarities to Mario. While he was initially identical to Mario, he began developing differences in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, which gave him a higher and further jump at the expense of responsiveness and precision. In the North American version of Super Mario Bros. 2, Luigi was given a taller and thinner appearance than Mario, which played a key role in shaping his modern appearance. Luigi's first starring role was in 1993's Mario Is Missing!, though he played only minor roles in subsequent games until 2001 with Luigi's Mansion, where he plays the role of a frightened, unsure, and goofy protagonist attempting to save his brother. The Year of Luigi was celebrated in 2013, which saw many Luigi games released to commemorate the character's 30th anniversary.Luigi also appeared in the Mario Kart series, Super Smash Bros. series as an unlockable fighter, and the Mario Party series. He was portrayed in 1993's Super Mario Bros. in live-action by John Leguizamo, and voiced by Charlie Day in 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie and 2026's The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Princess Peach
is the princess of the Mario franchise's Mushroom Kingdom. In the main series games, she typically plays the role of a damsel in distress who needs to be rescued by Mario. When playable, she typically has the ability to float in the air, and is physically taller than Mario. Her first playable appearance in a main series Mario game was 1988's Super Mario Bros. 2, while her second was 2013's Super Mario 3D World. Peach played a starring role in Super Princess Peach, where she aims to rescue Mario, Luigi, and Toad, aided by a parasol named Perry and several abilities based on her emotions—or "vibes". She makes frequent appearances in spin-off Mario games, such as the Mario Kart series and the Mario sports games. In the 2017 game Super Mario Odyssey, after being captured by and forced to marry Bowser, and subsequently rescued by Mario, she rejects both of them and instead takes a trip around the world, though Mario rejoins her. Peach again stars in her adventure in the 2024 game Princess Peach: Showtime!, where she saves the Sparkle Theater from a sorceress named Grape, helped by a ribbon named Stella and various transformations including Swordfighter Peach and Patissiere Peach.Since 2001, Peach appeared in Super Smash Bros. series as a fighter alongside Bowser in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and later in its succeeded games. She was voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Bowser
or King Koopa is the king of the turtle-like Koopa race, a selfish king who wants to take over the entire world and the Mushroom Kingdom. He is depicted as Mario's Archenemy, and is the final boss of most Mario games. He is playable in most Mario spin-off games. Bowser also appeared in Super Smash Bros. series as a fighter, beginning with the 2001 game, Super Smash Bros. Melee and later in its succeeded games for Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and Nintendo Switch. In 2023 and 2026, Bowser was voiced by Jack Black in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie respectively.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, Mario Party 10, and is a playable character in several of the Mario spin-off games.
Toad
is an anthropomorphic mushroom-like character. He debuted in Super Mario Bros., though his first starring role was in Wario's Woods, in which the player is able to control Toad to solve puzzles. Toad made his playable debut in a main series Mario game in 1988 with Super Mario Bros. 2, and frequently acts as a non-playable character in Mario role-playing games. The character is a member of the eponymous Toad species, which includes characters such as Captain Toad, Toadette, and Toadsworth. He was portrayed in live-action in 1993's Super Mario Bros. by the late Mojo Nixon as a rebellious singing freedom fighter working against King Koopa, and was voiced by Keegan-Michael Key in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.Yoshi
is Mario's best friend of green anthropomorphic dinosaur character, first appeared in the 1990 game Super Mario World. He is depicted with a long tongue that can be used to eat enemies, and can turn the enemies he eats into eggs that release power-ups or can be thrown. Yoshi is a rideable character for the heroes or a playable character in most of the Mario spin-offs, including his own series. Yoshi also appeared in Mario Kart series, Super Smash Bros. series as a fighter, and Mario Party series.Other supporting characters
Donkey Kong
is an anthropomorphic gorilla that stars in the Donkey Kong franchise. He is the leader of the Kong Family, a group of various primates and is depicted as the grandson of Cranky Kong who appeared in the 1981 arcade game, Donkey Kong, though, he appears as an antagonist in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. He is depicted as a cheerful and powerful character. Alongside Mario and friends, Donkey Kong also appeared in Mario Kart series, Super Smash Bros. series as a fighter, and Mario Party series.Donkey Kong was voiced by Seth Rogen in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Princess Daisy
is the princess of Sarasaland, the setting of Super Mario Land. Since then, she has primarily appeared as a playable character in spin-off Mario games, especially Mario sports games. Super Mario Run marks Daisy's playable debut in a main series game, where she is able to perform a double jump. She acts more tomboyish than Princess Peach, exemplified by her appearances in the Mario sports games. Some consider her and Luigi to be a couple, though Mario rescued her in some games. Daisy also appeared in the Mario Kart series, beginning with 2003's Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Super Smash Bros. series, beginning with 2018's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as Peach's echo-fighter.Daisy is portrayed in 1993's Super Mario Bros. in live-action by Samantha Mathis, although this interpretation is more of a blend of Peach and Daisy in design and portrayal, serving as Luigi's damsel in distress rather than Mario's. While Mario does help rescue this version of the princess, Mario's damsel in the 1993 film is Daniella, the live-action version of Pauline as portrayed by Dana Kaminski, rather than Peach, who was replaced in the film with Daisy. The purpose of this was to give Luigi the lead role, as the producers felt the film would be more relatable with a younger lead.