Editing Mario (SSBU)

If you play this character which means we hate you we despise you you are disgrace to humanity you belong in the forest the other characters a.k.a. Kirby, Nass be gone we you we don’t want you on this plant filth

|image = {{tabber|title1=Default|tab1=[[File:Mario SSBU.png|250px]]|title2=Builder|tab2=[[File:Mario-Alt6 SSBU.png|250px]]|title3=Wedding|tab3=[[File:Mario-Alt7 SSBU.png|250px]]}}

'''Mario''' ({{ja|マリオ|Mario}}, ''Mario'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. He was suggested to appear in the then unnamed ''Ultimate'' in its first [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3Gt42kVgCw teaser trailer] at the end of the March 8th, 2018 [[Nintendo Direct]], and officially announced in ''Ultimate''{{'}}s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93H7YC-83o E3 2018 trailer] on June 12th, 2018 alongside the rest of the returning roster. Mario is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #01]].

As in ''[[Smash 4]]'', {{s|mariowiki|Charles Martinet}}'s portrayal of Mario from ''[[Brawl]]'' was repurposed for ''Ultimate''.

Mario is a short [[Weight|middleweight]] with relatively balanced attributes, possessing above average [[walking]] speed, [[air acceleration]], [[dash]]ing speed and [[weight]], whereas his [[falling speed]] and [[gravity]] are below average relative to the cast. He also has a very fast [[air speed]] (tied with {{SSBU|Sonic}}, {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}, {{SSBU|Little Mac}} and {{SSBU|Inkling}} for the 12th fastest in the game) and excellent [[jump]]s, in exchange for poor attack range and moderately low [[traction]]. These balanced stats don't give Mario the edge when it comes to overall movement, but they nevertheless make him adept at most situations where a key attribute is needed to gain the advantage, which when combined with his very quick frame data, grants him a great [[neutral game]]. As a result, despite his attributes implying a jack-of-all-trades type of character, Mario is somewhat more of a rushdown character in practice.

Despite Mario's numerous strengths, he is not flawless. His attributes, while well-rounded, are not exactly exceptional, as many characters outclass him in various ways. Notable examples of this include {{SSBU|Pikachu}} having a more versatile edgeguarding game, {{SSBU|Luigi}} having better combo potential, {{SSBU|Hero}} having a superior camping game, {{SSBU|Sonic}} having substantially faster mobility, {{SSBU|Bowser}} having significantly stronger attacks, {{SSBU|Snake}} having a much more effective recovery, and {{SSBU|Shulk}} having drastically larger reach. In particular, the last one is his main weakness: his attacks generally possess unimpressive range.

His lack of reach prevents him from fighting at a safe distance and consistently forces Mario to approach characters on his own. This leads to having some difficulty against characters with large or [[disjointed]] range, particularly weapon users like {{SSBU|Lucina}} and {{SSBU|Cloud}}. As such, he will need to rely on close-quarters combat in order to fight decently against characters with disjoints. While back air is Mario's most effective spacing tool, it too suffers from a mediocre range that limits its utility against disjointed attacks.

Mario can also have some difficulty scoring KOs, as he has few strong and reliable finishers and has difficulty landing them, further compounded by his short reach, which limits his options, and a notable lack of KO confirms: outside of forward smash and up smash, none of his other KO moves are very reliable and consistently effective for doing what they're supposed to: his down smash can only KO reliably with its back hit and is unsafe on shield, Super Jump Punch can only KO at very high percentages or close to the blast zones, his back aerial has short range, his down aerial can sometimes have trouble connecting, his back throw is very slow and thus easy to DI, and his forward aerial is slow and must be sweetspotted (mid hit) in order to meteor smash, while the early hit and late hit (first and last active frame, respectively) have too much ending lag to be used as a combo extender while still being unreliable for killing due to their rather low knockback. Because of this, Mario tends to rely too much on his forward and up smashes or reads to score a KO, and his inconsistent KO potential is further worsened by the changes to rage, which hinders him more than other characters, as it doesn't increase knockback as much as in ''SSB4''. Since it also no longer affects set knockback, he can't use his Super Jump Punch as a KO confirm at low percents anymore if he has high rage, similarly to {{SSBU|Samus}}'s [[Screw Attack]]. Because of this, he must keep his forward and up smashes fresh and be careful to not get predictable  especially with the existence of [[stale-move negation]]. While his forward and up smashes are considered among the best of their type, they have their flaws too: the former has a sourspot located on Mario's arm, which, while very difficult to hit with, it outprioritizes the sweetspot and has rather mediocre power, while the latter has poor range in front of him, and thus it can have trouble in hitting small or crouching characters.

While his Fireball is useful in the neutral game for stopping approaches and is a decent edgeguarding tool, it's relatively weak for spacing and has noticeable ending lag, making it rather situational in comparison to other projectiles. Lastly, despite being known for his jumping ability (hence his original nickname, Jumpman), Mario's recovery is easy to gimp and is quite predictable. Despite his fast air speed and high double jump, Super Jump Punch, while fast and relatively safe, travels a merely average amount of distance altogether. This means that if Mario is knocked off stage without his double jump, he is extremely vulnerable to edgeguarding, and one hit could be all it takes to kill him. This also leaves Mario very vulnerable to semi-spikes, as they will likely launch him too far to recover at high percentages. Aside from Super Jump Punch, Mario has no other recovery options aside from utilizing [[Cape]]'s momentum stalling as a mix-up. Nevertheless, Super Jump Punch still offers a serviceable amount of recovery ability and can get the job done, should it be used properly.

Overall, Mario has many clear strengths and very few glaring weaknesses, resulting in said strengths outweighing said weaknesses. All in all, his above average mobility and largely reliable combo ability allows him to get the edge easily against most characters, as it is hard to escape from his wrath once he gets the advantage, while it is also easy for him to escape from his opponents’ wrath and regain the advantage. However, because of his low range, Mario must almost always fight in close quarters, and he often relies on [[read]]s to secure KOs. Mario has to be very careful off-stage as well in spite of his respectable edgeguarding game, as one exploit of his defenses can cause him to be unable to recover. Throughout the course of ''Ultimate''{{'}}s metagame, Mario has seen amazing results from players like {{Sm|Dark Wizzy}}, {{Sm|Prodigy}}, {{Sm|ANTi}}, {{Sm|MastaMario}}, {{Sm|Lui$}}, {{Sm|Teb}} and others, and as a result, he’s widely agreed to be among the best characters in the game.

Mario has undergone a mixture of buffs and nerfs in his transition to ''Ultimate'', but despite being overall directly nerfed, the indirect changes to the game's engine drastically benefit his playstyle, plus the helpful buffs to his underwhelming moves causes him to be in a similar position overall.

Mario has received a few direct noteworthy buffs. [[Fireball]] has reduced endlag, a slightly larger hitbox, and inflicts more hitlag on opponents, greatly improving its safety and follow-up potential. [[F.L.U.D.D.]] has reduced ending lag and a stronger pushback effect as a result of its increased set knockback, allowing Mario to disrupt and edgeguard opponents with it more effectively. As a result of his buffed specials, Mario's approach and already oppressive edgeguarding ability have been improved. A few of his standard attacks have received buffs as well; [[forward tilt]] is much more effective as a spacing option due to its higher base knockback, lower ending lag, and the increased [[shieldstun]] for [[tilt attack]]s. Additionally, his [[down aerial]] connects more reliably than before and deals increased damage and knockback, improving its damage-racking capabilities and KO potential. [[Forward smash]] also deals consistent damage across all angles, and when angled up or down, has increased knockback scaling, slightly improving its already-impressive KO potential even further.

However, Mario has also received noteworthy nerfs. A notable detriment to his toolkit is the universal nerfing of [[grab]]s; while his throws' excellent utility and his potentially devastating throw combos from ''SSB4'' remain, the increased startup on his dash and pivot grabs, the increased ending lag of all of his grabs and the reduced range on his dash grab make it harder for Mario to make use of his bountiful grab game. Furthermore, his neutral game, while still solid, has been toned down due to changes to some of his best moves in neutral. For example, his [[up tilt]], one of his most pivotal moves, has had altered hitbox placements with much shorter horizontal range, which significantly hinders its use as a reliable follow-up from his [[down throw]] at any percent against most characters, worsening both their combo potential and Mario's punish ability, as this was considered his most effective damage racking option, although this is partially compensated by up throw's improved combo potential at low percents. His [[dash attack]] can also no longer serve as a powerful [[2 frame punish]] that leads into a [[stage spike]], due to its late hit's angle being altered to send opponents away from Mario rather than towards him, the new animation gives him less protection overall and his forward tilt has lost its locking potential. On top of this, [[Super Jump Punch]] takes longer to grab edges, to the point of causing Mario to land on the stage and become much more vulnerable if he doesn't use it at a far enough distance, and due of the changes to [[rage]], it is much less effective for taking out stocks off the upper [[blast line]] below high percents. In combination with the changes to air dodging, this acts as a double-edged sword for Mario, becoming more vulnerable to edgeguarding himself just as he can edgeguard opponents more effectively.

Overall, Mario retains all of his strengths from ''SSB4'': his extreme combo ability, impressive frame data, serviceable recovery with a high jump height and air speed, and excellent edgeguarding ability. However, his playstyle is fundamentally different due to ''Ultimate''{{'}}s reworked mechanics, requiring different strategies to achieve the same level of effectiveness that his previous incarnation was capable of, which results in a slightly higher learning curve. So far, Mario has earned a competitive presence that is just as strong as in ''SSB4'', with increasingly strong results by notable players such as {{sm|Dark Wizzy}}, {{Sm|Prodigy}}, {{sm|Zenyou}}, {{sm|MastaMario}}, {{sm|ANTi}}, {{sm|Teb}}, and {{sm|Lui$}}. The perception of Mario has additionally gone up exponentially since launch, with the majority of top players agreeing that Mario is a solid top-tier character. As a result, Mario is one of the few ''SSB4'' top-tier characters alongside {{SSBU|Fox}}, {{SSBU|Zero Suit Samus}}, and {{SSBU|Sonic}} who continues to earn great representation and has been placing consistently well at tournaments overall.

Aside from a single nerf to [[Fireball]] in update 3.0.0, Mario has been buffed slightly overall via game updates. Update 2.0.0 lowered dash attack's angles, which improved its ability to set up edgeguards.  

Overall, Mario has improved, albeit negligibly, since the launch of ''Ultimate'' and he remains a very viable pick in competitive play.

|neutralname= 

|neutraldesc=The {{s|mariowiki|Punch}} + Punch + {{s|mariowiki|Kick}} combo from ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario 64}}'': two punches followed by a jumping kick. The first and second hits can [[lock]], and the general speed of the move makes it good as a grounded combo breaker or quick punish tool, as the first hit comes out on frame 2.

|ftiltname= 

|ftiltdesc=Does a roundhouse kick. It can be angled. Very quick and good for getting opponents off of Mario due to its high base knockback, and angling it down enables it to hit ledge hangs, but it's weak and situational, as it cannot KO until 200% or even lock.

|utiltname= 

|utiltdesc=Does a quick jumping uppercut. Effective for comboing into itself at low percents, and into aerial attacks from mid to high percents; however, the former combo can be escaped with the proper combination of [[DI]] and [[SDI]], and can be punished on hit at very low percents. Unlike in ''SSB4'', the move's altered animation results in the hitbox being positioned fairly high to the ground on the first frame it is active, creating a blindspot and making it fairly difficult or even impossible to hit shorter or crouching characters with the move. It appears to be based on the second hit of the [[mariowiki:List of weapons in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars|Mega Glove]]'s combo from ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars''.

|dtiltname= 

|dtiltdesc=A leg sweep. A reliable combo starter that works at a wider range of percents than up tilt, at the cost of being less consistent due to its different hitboxes, and unable to combo into itself as effectively. It can also hit ledge hangs and combo off from ledge as well.

|dashname= 

|dashdesc=A [[wikipedia:Slide (baseball)|baseball slide]]. Has a diagonal knockback angle, making its lingering hitbox useful for [[2 frame punish|2-framing]] certain opponents and punishing spot dodges. The new animation is more unfavorable in terms of hitbox placements. Very similar to the Slide Kick from ''Super Mario 64'', and also similar to Mario's running turn animation in ''New Super Mario Bros''.

|fsmashname= 

|fsmashdesc=Steps back and does a palm thrust that produces a small explosion. Though it is Mario's slowest ground attack, coming out on frame 15, it is among the quicker forward smashes and considered among the best in the game for several reasons: It is Mario's most powerful KO move when sweet spotted, KOing as low as 65% by the ledge, the fireball itself is disjointed, can be angled downwards or upwards to hit ledge hangs, and the start-up animation has Mario pull back his hurtbox deceptively far, inadvertently allowing him to avoid several attacks. However, the sweet spot is out prioritized by the sour spot.

|usmashname=Lead Headbutt

|usmashdesc=An upward arcing headbutt. One of Mario's most reliable KO options. Its quick startup at frame 9 makes it a useful out of shield option, as well as being difficult to react to if the opponent is within its range. His head is intangible while its hitboxes are active, giving it pseudo-disjointed range. Its hitboxes reach behind Mario a good distance but do not reach as far in front of him, thus having trouble hitting short or crouching opponents in front of him. It has very fast interruptibility for its strength, at frame 40, and its damage output is also just enough to make it difficult for most characters to punish out of shield.

|dsmashname= 

|dsmashdesc=The Sweep Kick from ''Super Mario 64''. Mario does a breakdance kick that hits both sides. Mario's fastest smash attack, coming out as fast as all his tilts, and both hits [[semi-spike]] opponents, though the frontal hit is rather weak in comparison to the back hit. Also capable of hitting ledge hangs. The animation in ''Ultimate'' more closely resembles Mario's breakdance from ''Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix''.

|nairname= 

|nairdesc=Does a sex kick. As a [[sex kick]], it loses its average power after the first frames. It is useful for breaking out of combos due to its very fast startup (frame 3), and as a versatile horizontal combo extender, as well as for locking opponents. [[Autocancel]]s in a [[short hop]]. Can combo into a tilt attack, up aerial, or grab at low percents if landing on the ground shortly after the hit, as well as boasting numerous KO confirms off the late hit at high percents. Very similar to the Jump Kick from ''Super Mario 64''.

|fairname=Meteor Knuckle

|fairdesc=Rears back his fist and then throws an {{iw|wikipedia|overhand|boxing}}. When hit clean, it is a [[meteor smash]] with enough knockback to KO under 45% offstage and has deceptively high combo potential. It has the slowest startup of his standard moveset (frame 16), high ending lag, and is Mario's only aerial that doesn't autocancel in a short hop. Other than lacking combo potential, the early and late hits are too weak to KO reliably.

|bairname= 

|bairdesc=A {{s|wikipedia|dropkick}} behind Mario. Has fast startup with low ending and landing lag, and more range than most of Mario's other aerials, making it an effective [[spacing]] tool and horizontal combo extender at low percents, as well as having the ability to pseudo [[Wall of Pain]] off stage. Also capable of killing at higher percents, and can be used twice in a short hop, or with neutral, up and down airs.

|uairname= 

|uairdesc=A bicycle kick. Has extremely fast startup (frame 4), consistent strength throughout the move and very low ending and landing lag, making it one of Mario's most versatile combo starters and extenders in his moveset. Can combo into itself easily until higher percents, and can kill off the top at high percents.

|dairname=[[Mario Tornado]]

|grabname= 

|pummelname= 

|pummeldesc=Headbutts the opponent.

|fthrowname= 

|fthrowdesc=Spins the opponent around once and throws them forward. Can be followed up with dash attack at lower percents, or be used to set up tech situations and mixups, or edge guards. It can kill at very high percents at the ledge.

|bthrowname=Airplane Swing

|bthrowdesc= A giant swing, a  throw used on floored opponents in wrestling. Mario grabs the opponent by the feet, making them fall to the ground and spins three times while holding them by the legs before throwing them backward. Can KO even the heaviest of characters reliably at around 160% near the edge without the need of [[rage]], but can KO middleweights as early as 120% if they fail to DI. It also has solid use in matches with more than one player, as the collateral hit has a large range and high knockback. Due to its slow speed, it is easy to DI, causing it to KO only above 160%. It is based on the throw that he uses against [[Bowser]] in ''Super Mario 64''.

|uthrowname= 

|uthrowdesc= Holds the opponent by the chest and then tosses them directly overhead with both hands. An effective combo throw at low to medium percentages, comboing into all aerials except forward air. Very similar animation to the Upward Cap Throw from ''Super Mario Odyssey''.

|dthrowname= 

|dthrowdesc= Jumps upwards while holding the opponent and then performs a [[wikipedia:Professional wrestling throws#Body slam|body slam]], slamming them to the ground with one arm. It can be followed up with several options, including but not limited to up tilt on certain characters at varying percents, Super Jump Punch, neutral attack, and up aerial at mid percents on most characters. Effective for starting ladder combos on platform stages.

|floortdesc=Performs a sidekick behind himself and then in front of himself while getting up.

|nsdesc=Throws a {{s|mariowiki|Fireball}}. The fireball bounces along the ground several times before disappearing. Despite its low damage, it is good for controlling space when performed in the air because Mario retains full aerial mobility throughout the move. Because the fireball is subject to gravity, it can be used to cover Mario while recovering high, and can combo into quick attacks if Mario is close enough. A reference to the fireballs he fires when he obtains the Fire Flower, which first appeared in ''Super Mario Bros.''

|ssdmg=7%, 1.5x times the reflected projectile

|usdesc=A jumping uppercut that produces {{s|mariowiki|Star Coin}}s or {{s|mariowiki|Metro Kingdom}} {{s|mariowiki|regional coin}}s on contact. Mario's only recovery move, but it leaves him helpless. Its extremely fast startup (frame 3) and intangibility frames on startup make it useful as an [[out of shield]] option. Can KO near the upper blast line, making it a good combo finisher out of a ladder. Can be angled to change the direction it travels in.

|dsdesc=Wields {{s|mariowiki|F.L.U.D.D.}} and charges up water to launch a stream at the opponent. The charge time is rather fast, and it can be [[charge cancel]]ed and stored for later. The water pushes opponents but does not damage them. Mario can change the angle of the stream upwards or downwards. Useful for disrupting an approach and creating space, which can help alleviate pressure and potentially put his opponent in a vulnerable position. It also slightly pushes Mario backward if charged enough. It can also be used as an edgeguarding tool.

*Jumps out of a {{s|mariowiki|Warp Pipe}} punching his right fist in the air while shouting "Let's-a go!".

*'''Up taunt''': Turns his back to the camera and gives a thumbs-up while smiling. The pose Mario strikes resembles a piece of [[mariowiki:File:Mario thumbs-up.png|promotional artwork]] first released for {{s|mariowiki|Club Nintendo}}, but without the wink.

SSBUMarioIdle1.gif|Mario's first idle pose

SSBUMarioIdle2.gif|Mario's second idle pose

*'''Left:''' Winds up for a punch and steps forward while punching in front of the screen. Taken directly from ''Super Smash Bros. 4''.

[[File:MarioSeriesVictoryThemeUltimate.ogg|thumb|A shortened version of the Course Clear Fanfare remix used in ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario Bros.}}''.]]

==In competitive play==

Upon the release of ''Ultimate'', Mario was regarded as an average mid-tiered character. This was seen through his poor range, which was impacted more in the game due to swordfighters and character with disjoints being reworked; swordfighters especially were among the best characters in the early metagame. Furthermore, many players noted the nerfs to Mario's combo game, his best tool in ''Smash 4''. As a result, Mario's reception was initially mediocre.

Despite this, Mario always had solid representation thanks to players such as {{Sm|Dark Wizzy}}, {{Sm|Prodigy}}, {{Sm|MastaMario}}, and {{Sm|Lui$}}. Dark Wizzy, in particular, has consistently placed in Top 8 at many national tournaments including {{Trn|Shine 2019}}, {{Trn|Glitch 8}}, and {{Trn|GENESIS 7}}. In addition, Prodigy defeated {{Sm|MkLeo}} at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}} in a 3-0 fashion. These results have significantly improved Mario's reception among professionals to the point where most players consider him to be top-tier.

Due to his better reception, Mario’s nerfs from ''Smash 4'' did not affect him in the long run as players noted that all his strengths from the previous game, despite being nerfed, were mostly retained. His matchup spread is also great: Mario has positive matchups against meta-relevant characters like {{SSBU|Pikachu}}, {{SSBU|R.O.B.}}, {{SSBU|Mega Man}}, {{SSBU|Olimar}}, {{SSBU|Pac-Man}}, {{SSBU|Inkling}}, {{SSBU|Fox}}, {{SSBU|Wolf}}, and {{SSBU|Wario}}, while only having a few troublesome matchups, such as {{SSBU|Lucina}}, {{SSBU|Palutena}}, {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}}, {{SSBU|Shulk}} and {{SSBU|Cloud}}.

===Notable players===

''Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]], which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in [[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]] from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.''

''See also: [[:Category:Mario professionals (SSBU)]]''

<!--If you are planning to add a player you consider to be notable, please provide tournament results in some shape or form in the edit summary (be it a link to a results thread or bracket of placing high in a tournament of other notable players or a video of them beating a notable player). Winning tournaments without notable players present is generally not enough to warrant a spot.-->

*{{Sm|Blacktwins|Canada}} - Considered the best Mario player in Canada after Ally's retirement. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|Rising Stars at EGLX 2019}}, {{Trn|Mango's Birthday Bash}}, and {{Trn|The Amuka Smash Cup}} as well as 3rd at {{Trn|HABBY Birthday 2019}} with both {{SSBU|Pichu}} and Mario. Ranked 2nd on the [[Southern Ontario Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Rankings|Southern Ontario Ultimate Power Rankings]] and 5th on the [[Smash Canada Rankings Ultimate]].

*{{Sm|Dark Wizzy|USA}} (#22) - The best Mario player in the world. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Mexican Gaming Championship}} and {{Trn|Phantom 2020}}, 2nd at {{Trn|Glitch 8}}, 4th at {{Trn|DreamHack Atlanta 2019}}, 5th at both {{Trn|Shine 2019}} and {{Trn|GENESIS 7}}, and 7th at both  {{Trn|Glitch 7 - Minus World}} and {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}}. Has wins over {{sm|Tweek}}, {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}, {{sm|MVD}}, {{sm|Dabuz}}, {{Sm|Cosmos}}, {{sm|ESAM}}, {{Sm|Sinji}}, {{Sm|LeoN}}, {{Sm|Mr.R}}, {{Sm|Goblin}}, {{Sm|Nietono}}, and {{Sm|ZD}}.

*{{Sm|Duwang|USA}} - The best Mario player in Washington. Placed 7th at {{Trn|Ascension VI}}, 9th at {{Trn|The Pinnacle 2019}}, 13th at {{Trn|Battle of BC 3}}, 17th at both {{Trn|Don't Park On The Grass 2018}} and {{Trn|Play With Heart}}. Ranked 3rd on the [[Washington Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Gomakenpi|USA}} - Co-mains {{SSBU|Olimar}} with Mario and is considered the best Mario player in [[Michigan]]. Placed 5th at {{Trn|Guardian I}}, 9th at {{Trn|2GG: Run it Back}}, 17th at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2019}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Smash 'N' Splash 5}} with both Olimar and Mario.

*{{Sm|Kurama|USA}} - One of the best Mario players in the world. Won {{Trn|Super Ascension}}, placed 2nd at {{Trn|Crown}}, 7th at {{Trn|Port Priority 5}}, 9th at {{Trn|Mainstage}}, 13th at both {{Trn|GENESIS 6}} and {{Trn|CEO 2019}}, 17th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}}, and 25th at {{Trn|The Big House 9}}, with wins over {{Sm|MkLeo}}, {{Sm|FOW}}, {{sm|Elegant}}, {{Sm|Abadango}},  {{sm|Nicko}}, {{Sm|Myran}}, {{Sm|Cosmos}}, {{sm|Stroder}}, {{sm|Pandarian}}, and Dark Wizzy. Ranked 2nd on the [[NorCal Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Lui$|USA}} (#39) - Co-mains Mario with {{SSBU|Fox}} and is considered one of the best Mario players in the United States. Placed 7th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}}, 17th at {{Trn|Glitch 7 - Minus World}}, 25th at {{Trn|Shine 2019}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Mainstage}}. Has wins over {{Sm|WaDi}} and {{Sm|ESAM}}.

*{{Sm|MastaMario|USA}} - One of the best Mario players in the United States. Placed 7th at {{Trn|SIEGE 2019}}, 9th at both {{Trn|Ascension V}} and {{Trn|Ultimate Nimbus}}, 17th at {{Trn|Heart of Battle}}, and 25th at {{Trn|SoCal Chronicles}}. Has wins over {{Sm|NAKAT}}, {{Sm|Armando}}, Zenyou, {{Sm|Charlie}}, {{Sm|Rich Brown}}, and {{Sm|Slither2Hunter}}. Ranked 7th on the [[SoCal Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros. Ultimate|SoCal Ultimate Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Perkinips|USA}} - Placed 2nd at both {{Trn|Steel City Showdown}} and {{Trn|Replay FX Gaming Arena 2019}}. Ranked 1st on the [[Pittsburgh Power Rankings#Ultimate|Pittsburgh Ultimate Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Ron|Japan}} (#50) - Co-mains {{SSBU|Yoshi}} with Mario and is considered one of the best Mario players in Japan. Placed 3rd at both {{Trn|Sumabato SP 3}} and {{Trn|Sumabato SP 6}}.

*{{Sm|Stroder|USA}} - Tri-mains {{SSBU|Greninja}}, {{SSBU|Roy}}, and Mario, and is considered one of the best Mario players in North America. Placed 1st at both {{Trn|Smashpoint}} and {{Trn|Ascension V}}, 5th at {{Trn|Goodwill of Orange County's Charity Invitational}}, and 13th at {{Trn|2GG: Prime Saga}}. Ranked 1st on the [[Arizona Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros. Ultimate|Arizona Ultimate Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Zackray|Japan}} (#7) - One of the best Mario players in the world. Placed 1st at {{Trn|EGS Cup 3}}, 9th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 11}}, and 17th at {{Trn|2GG: Kongo Saga}} as one of his characters.

 

*{{Sm|Ally|Canada}} - Used Mario as a secondary. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Pound 2019}}, 2nd at {{Trn|Battle of BC 3}}, and 3rd at {{Trn|CEO 2019}} with wins over {{Sm|MVD}}, {{Sm|ESAM}}, {{Sm|Pelca}}, and {{Sm|Nurse}}. Formerly ranked 1st on the [[Montreal Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros Ultimate rankings|Montreal Ultimate Power Rankings]] while using Mario in tandem with Snake. Initially retired from competitive play in July 2019, but has recently returned to compete in locals. However, he has since been banned from competitive play.

*{{Sm|ANTi|USA}} - One of the best Mario players in the United States. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|DreamHack Dallas 2019}}, 5th at {{Trn|GENESIS: BLACK}}, 25th at both {{Trn|Pound 2019}} and {{Trn|Get On My Level 2019}}, and 49th at {{Trn|CEO 2019}}. He has since left the community amidst allegations of sexual assault.

*{{Sm|huto|Japan}} - Formerly one of the best Mario players in Japan. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|EGS Cup 2}} as one of his characters, and 17th at {{Trn|Karisuma SP 3}} and 65th at {{Trn|EVO 2019}} with solo Mario. Now solely plays {{SSBU|Banjo & Kazooie}} in bracket.

|4||{{CharHead|Squirtle|SSBU|hsize=20px}}, {{CharHead|Ivysaur|SSBU|hsize=20px}}, {{CharHead|Charizard|SSBU|hsize=20px}}, and {{CharHead|Pikachu|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Pokémon Stadium]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Pokémon|Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Blue (Brawl)}}''||Horde Battle. {{SSBU|Pokémon Trainer}} is absent.

|6||{{Head|Bowser Jr.|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Larry}}{{Head|Bowser Jr.|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Morton}}{{Head|Bowser Jr.|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Wendy}}{{Head|Bowser Jr.|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Iggy}}{{Head|Bowser Jr.|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Roy}}{{Head|Bowser Jr.|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Lemmy}}{{Head|Bowser Jr.|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Ludwig}} [[Bowser Jr. (SSBU)|Koopalings]] and {{CharHead|Bowser Jr.|SSBU|hsize=20px}} ||[[Princess Peach's Castle]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Mario Bros.|Fortress Boss - Super Mario Bros. 3}}''||Horde Battle. The Koopalings are fought in the order they are fought in ''Super Mario Bros. 3''.

Each character can be unlocked by clearing Mario's Classic Mode, or the Classic Mode of any preceding character, if all preceding characters have been unlocked. Once all the above characters are unlocked, clearing Classic Mode with any of them will default to {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}'s character unlock tree, starting with {{SSBU|Bowser}}. Furthermore, Mario's tree can also be accessed by completing another starter character's unlock tree, then clearing Classic Mode with any character within, or with any [[Downloadable content|DLC character]].

When the fighters make their last stand against Galeem and [[Dharkon]], Mario is seen leading the charge. He is also prominently featured in both of the bad endings. If Galeem defeats Dharkon, Mario watches in trepidation as Galeem unleashes a wave of light and is ostensibly vaporized with the rest of reality. If Dharkon defeats Galeem, Mario is seen lifelessly slumping over as the world is engulfed in darkness.

|[[Final Destination]]

{{-}}

Mario's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing [[Classic Mode]]. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 coins. Unlocking Mario in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. His Builder and Wedding outfits have fighter spirit of their own, available through the shop, and in the Wedding outfit's case, can be obtained by scanning the Wedding Mario amiibo or by completing a challenge (Games & More: ''As Luigi, play solo All-Star Smash and deal damage with a taunt 3 times''). Each fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in ''Ultimate''.

SSBU spirit Goo-Goo Buggy.png|80. Goo-Goo Buggy

SSBU spirit MONSTER.png|1133. MONSTER

SSBU spirit Giga Cat Mario.png|1472. Giga Cat Mario

==In Spirit battles==

''Conditions in italic aren't listed on the Spirit Battle preview screen.''

|{{SpiritTableName|Toadsworth|link=y|size=64}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Starship Mario|size=64}}

|Mario

|{{SpiritTableName|Goo-Goo Buggy|size=64}}

|{{SpiritTableName|B Dasher|size=64}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Kid|size=64}}

|{{SpiritTableName|MC Ballyhoo & Big Top|size=64}}

|Mario

|{{SpiritTableName|Mario (Mario Tennis Aces)|size=64}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Baby Mario|size=64}}

|Mario

|{{SpiritTableName|Baby Peach|link=y|size=64}}

|{{s|mariowiki|Baby Mario}}

|{{s|mariowiki|Mario}}

|Jumpman ({{s|mariowiki|Mario}})

|{{s|mariowiki|Mario}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Starlow|size=64}}

|{{s|mariowiki|Mario}}

|{{s|mariowiki|Mario}}

|{{s|mariowiki|Mario}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Olivia|size=64}}

|{{s|mariowiki|Mario}} <!-- Do not change the link to Paper Mario; Super Mario Wiki considers Paper Mario in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam and due Mario in Paper Mario series as two separate characters -->

Link Kirby Mario and Cloud artwork.png|Link, Kirby, Mario, and Cloud artwork, as posted by Tetsuya Nomura's official Twitter account.

Mario unlock notice SSBU.jpg|Mario's unlock screen when obtaining him in [[World of Light]].

SSBUWebsiteOlimar2.jpg|With {{SSBU|Olimar}}, {{SSBU|Pac-Man}}, and {{SSBU|Sonic}} on [[Gaur Plain]].

KazuyaTW2.jpg|With {{SSBU|Kazuya}} on the currently-unnamed [[Tekken stage]].

===Character Showcase Video===

*''Ultimate'' marks the first time since ''Melee'' where Mario is depicted smiling in his official render.

*''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is the 100th game where Charles Martinet voiced Mario, and as a result, he won the Guinness World Record for the highest number of performances as the same character.

**Coincidentally, all four of these characters were playable in the ''Super Smash Bros. for 3DS'' demo.

**Additionally, Mario and {{SSBU|Yoshi}} are the only characters to vocalize in the "Everyone Is Here!" trailer.

*Coincidentally, five of his alternate costumes (his default, Golf, [[Waluigi]], Builder and Wedding outfits) also appeared in ''Super Mario Odyssey.'' Dr. Mario (portrayed here as his own character) also appeared in ''Odyssey'' as an outfit. Only his cyan/pink, white/black, and green/brown costumes do not appear in ''Odyssey.''

**The eyebrows of Mario appears to be a little inwards as for the Default or the other alts. With the Builder and the Wedding, the eyebrows noticeably goes more outwards when zooming in.

*If Mario gets hit hard in the head, there's a chance his face will flatten. This is the same expression used whenever he gets [[Screen KO]]'d. This also happens with Dr. Mario.

*Mario's official artwork is based on the [[sex kick]] in his neutral aerial.

*When fighting off the fifty puppet fighter army as Master Hand in World of Light, Mario is one of the eight fighters fought there, being affiliated with Galeem.

*A running meme in the ''Smash'' community is how Mario always seems to "die" (or have a situation similar to death) in a lot of character reveal trailers, including when {{SSBU|Ridley}} snatched him and crushed his neck with his claws in Ridley’s reveal trailer, when he was punched by {{SSBU|Sonic}} into the ''Minecraft'' universe which resulted in him being blown up by a [[Creeper]] in {{SSBU|Steve}}'s trailer, and when he was seemingly impaled by {{SSBU|Sephiroth}}'s sword in Sephiroth's trailer. This also includes minor deaths like being blown up by a [[Bob-omb]] in the [[Vault Boy]] Mii Costume trailer.

**Furthermore, Mario is also seen "dying" in the dark ending of World of Light.