Mario characters are ten a penny. By ten a penny, I mean there are a lot of them. And by these parts, I mean a Nintendo Switch and mobile gaming website. We’ve all grown up playing Mario games and have our own favorites, so here’s a concise list of the best Mario characters from the main man’s games.
For more, check out our Mario Kart characters and Sonic characters to keep up to date with more famous friends, and grab some of the greatest Mario toys on the market to show your love for Luigi, or appreciation of Peach.
Okay, Mario characters. Let’s-a go!
Our favorite Super Mario characters
Luigi
Okay, let’s start with an apology. There’s a list of Mario characters and the first name is Luigi – it seems like a joke, right? But, hear me out. Luigi is an underappreciated gem in the Mario series, with his anxious personality combined with excellent spin-off games.
Considering he started as a plain old palette swap of Mario just so we could have a second player option, for Luigi to blossom into a unique part of the Mushroom Kingdom is wonderful to see. He deserves more love.
Birdo
Okay, so Birdo is amazing whether you like it or not. Her name is ‘Birdo’ but she’s a dinosaur, which is excellent nonsense. Most importantly, Birdo is one of the first transgender video game characters. You can read all about it in our article on Birdo’s gender, but either way, she’s a gosh darn icon. A true top-tier Mario character.
Poochy
Look at him. You look at Poochy and you tell me he isn’t immediately a favorite. He may not have ears, but he’s a loving little dog that features mainly in Yoshi’s games, and in the Mario Kart series. Poochy pops up in Super Mario Odyssey, too. In terms of gameplay, in some games Poochy can act as a safety platform, saving you from impending doom, and can also walk over spikes to cart you safely across.
The baby penguin from Super Mario 64
We’ve all seen the videos of people throwing the baby penguins off the side of a mountain, but just know that we do it with love. The quest this baby features in drove me nuts as a kid, and I kept failing over and over, but I couldn’t stay mad at the tiny little blue bird. His mom on the other hand… she gives you the quest, so her I am mad at.
Princess Peach
Obviously, Peach is a favorite character. She’s an icon, a key member of Nintendo royalty, a fashion star – just all-around a real swell gal. I can’t imagine how infuriating it is being the center of Bowser’s attention, and being kidnapped over the years multiple times, but she pulled through. And now, we’ve got another Peach-centric adventure with Princess Peach: Showtime!
Shy Guy
Shy Guys are a staple of the Mario series. First appearing in Super Mario Bros. 2, they constantly harass Mario, Yoshi, and other protagonists on their quests for good. There’s something about their design that makes them loveable in a weird way, even when they’re firing bullets at you or flying into your head.
Bowser
Look, none of us agree with Bowser just up and taking Peach, but you have to admit, he’s an iconic villain and a great Mario Kart character. Bowser is the king of the Koopas, who has it out for Mario, the pesky plumber that stands between Bowser and being the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom.
While not stomping around trying to flatten Mario, Bowser spends his time with his son, Bowser Jr, and the seven Koopalings that are totally not also his children – including Morton, Lemmy, and Ludwig.
Yoshi
Blue Yoshi, green Yoshi, yellow Yoshi- they’re all great. Yoshi is great. From grabbing things and swallowing enemies to transporting you safely across chasms and spiky bits, Yoshi’s there doing it all as a key Mario sidekick – though he broke out and has plenty of his own games, like the adorable Yoshi’s Woolly World, which also features a woven Poochy.
Il Piantissimo
Il Piantissimo is an interesting Mario character from an etymological perspective. Sure, they feature in Mario Sunshine which is chill, but that’s not what interests me. What interests me is the word ‘piantissimo’. What is it meant to be a riff on? It’s obviously Italian, but what word?
Is it ‘pianissimo’, the music notation denoting that something should be played extra softly? Is it ‘piantassimo’, the first-person plural imperfect subjunctive of the Latin ‘piantare’, which can occasionally mean ‘to maroon’ (‘cause, you know, they’re on an island)? Or is it ‘piatissimo’, the first-person plural imperfect subjunctive of ‘piatire’, meaning ‘to complain’, ‘beg’, or ‘nag’? Well, it’s probably none of them. It’s probably just meant to mean ‘very Pianta’. But still… maybe there’s a deeper mystery.
Toadsworth
Another Mario character chosen based on voice-line vibes alone, Toadsworth is the 60-year-old steward of Princess Peach and overseer of all the other Toads. With appearances in over a dozen Mario games, he’s an underappreciated gem.
Why? Well, he says stuff like “pip pip” and “great hoogly-boogly”, just like my grandpappy and his grandpappy before him. He’s an ancient British gentleman – a long-lost beauty with a mushroom for a head.
Every Super Mario character
Well, you asked for it – an entire list of every single Mario character that’s been in any game from the last 40 years.
- Ace
- Admiral Bobbery
- Antasma
- Axem Rangers
- Baby Bowser
- Baby Daisy
- Baby Donkey Kong
- Baby Luigi
- Baby Mario
- Baby Peach
- Baby Rosalina
- Baby Wario
- Baby Yoshi
- Beep-0
- Beldam
- Birdo
- Blooper
- Bob-omb
- Bob-omb Buddy
- Bombette
- Boo
- Boshi
- Bow
- Bowser
- Bowser Jr.
- Brute Force Federation
- Bullet Bill
- Buzzy Beetle
- Cackletta
- Cappy
- Captain Toad
- Cat Bullet Bill
- Chain Chomp
- Cheep Cheep
- Clawgrip
- Count Bleck
- Cragnon
- Cranky Kong
- Dark Star
- Diddy Kong
- Dimentio
- Dino Piranha
- Dixie Kong
- Dodo
- Dolphin
- Donkey Kong
- Donkey Kong Jr.
- Doopliss
- Dr. Mario
- Dry Bones
- Edge
- Eldstar
- F.L.U.D.D.
- Fawful
- Fire Rosalina
- Flurrie
- Folded Soldiers
- Foreman Spike
- Frogfucious
- Fryguy
- Fury Bowser
- Gary
- Geno
- Giuseppe
- Goomba
- Goombario
- Goombella
- Goomby and Foomby
- Hammer Bro.
- Hariet
- Hooktail
- Huey
- Hungry Luma
- Iggy Koopa
- JEANIE
- Jojora
- Kamek
- Kammy Koopa
- Kersti
- King Bob-omb
- King Boo
- King Olly
- Koopa
- Koopa Bros.
- Koopa Kid
- Koopa Paratroopa
- Koopa Troopa
- Koopalings
- Kooper
- Koopley
- Koops
- Kroop
- Kylie Koopa
- Lakilester
- Lakitu
- Larry Koopa
- Lemmy Koopa
- Lord Crump
- Lubba
- Ludwig von Koopa
- Luigi
- Luma
- Madame Broode
- Magikoopa
- Mallow
- Mamar
- Marilyn
- Mario
- Mario and Luigi’s father
- Mario and Luigi’s mother
- Master Luma
- Merlon
- Metal Mario
- Midbus
- Misstar
- Monty Mole
- Morton Koopa Jr.
- Ms. Mowz
- Muskular
- Nabbit
- Ninji
- Noki
- Olivia
- Oogtar
- Paper Mario
- Parakarry
- Pauline
- Petey Piranha
- Phanto
- Pianta
- Piranha Plant
- Pokey
- Polari
- Pom Pom
- Poochy
- Poplin
- Prince Dreambert
- Prince Peasley
- Princess Daisy
- Princess Peach
- Princess Shroob
- Professor E. Gadd
- Professor Frankly
- Puni
- Rabbid Luigi
- Rabbid Mario
- Rabbid Peach
- Rabbid Yoshi
- Rango
- Raphael the Raven
- Rawk Hawk
- Red Toad
- Rosalina
- Roy Koopa
- Rubber Band
- Shadow Mario
- Shadow Queen
- Shroob
- Shy Guy
- Sir Grodus
- Skolar
- Smithy
- Snifit
- Sparks
- Spewart
- Spiny
- Star Spirits
- Starlow
- Stella
- Stuffwell
- Sushie
- Talking Flower
- Tape
- Tatanga
- Thwomp
- Tippi
- Toad
- Toad Brigade
- Toadette
- Toadsworth
- Topper
- Tryclyde
- Twink
- Valentina
- Virus
- Vivian
- Waluigi
- Wanda
- Wario
- Wart
- Watt
- Wendy O. Koopa
- Whomp
- Whomp King
- Wiggler
- Yoob
- Yoshi
- Zombone
There you have it, friends, every notable character from the mainline Mario games. For more, check out our picks for the best Mario Lego and Mario toys for some IRL fun.