Editing Mario (SSBU)

|image = {{tabber|title1=Default|content1=[[File:Mario SSBU.png|250px]]|title2=Builder|content2=[[File:Mario-Alt6 SSBU.png|250px]]|title3=Wedding|content3=[[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]], the first fighter number of the ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' [[veteran]]s and the overall roster. As in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', {{s|mariowiki|Charles Martinet}}'s portrayal of Mario from ''[[Brawl]]'' was repurposed for ''Ultimate'' in all regions.<!--Do not add that this is the last Smash Bros. game where Charles Martinet voices Mario. Besides the fact this isn't done for other characters' pages, Jigglypuff and Lucina still use their voice clips from Rachael Lillis and Laura Bailey respectively in the Smash series instead of their current actors, so it's still possible for Martinet's voice to be reused in future Smash games-->

Mario is currently ranked 22nd out of 82 characters on the [[tier list]], being in the A tier. This is a slight drop from his 9th out of 54 ranking in ''Smash 4'' where he stood at the lower end of top tier, despite not facing many changes during the transition. Much like his previous incarnation, Mario's greatest asset is his fast frame data; most of his moves have little startup lag and have relatively low end lag. This results in Mario being fairly difficult to [[punish]] relative to most of the cast. His combo game is quite flexible, as Mario can rack up damage quickly and reliably with a myriad of options to do so. In particular, his up aerial is one of the best [[juggling]] tools in the game, as the move can very easily chain into itself and can lead to near inescapable kill setups either on the top blast line or near the ledge. In addition, he also has a versatile moveset: a disruptive [[projectile]] in his [[Fireball]], a [[reflection]]-based and [[reverse]]-based move in his [[Cape]] that can counteract [[camping]], and a decent, if niche [[edgeguard]]ing option with [[F.L.U.D.D.]]

 

However, Mario also has some notable weaknesses. His moves have short range, with his hitboxes being relatively small and stubby when compared to the rest of the cast. This causes him to have difficulty against characters with long or disjointed range. Mario also suffers from a lack of consistent KO setups, due to having predictable, low range, and unsafe kill options at high percents, alongside his short frame and relative floatiness for a middleweight. He also struggles at KOing opponents in general, as he lacks any reliable finishers outside of his smash attacks: while his [[back throw]] is slow and vulnerable to [[DI]] and other moves like back aerial, down aerial and [[Super Jump Punch]] tend to be dependent on edgeguarding or being near the top of the [[blast line]] to KO. Mario’s recovery, while good, is still predictable due to [[Super Jump Punch]] only travelling a mere average distance. Lastly, Mario's average attributes do not allow him to quickly gain an advantage either, as the strengths of other characters can contest his, with the most notable being his overall range.

 

Overall, Mario's strengths outweigh his weaknesses, and he has seen strong results in competitive play thanks to the efforts of players such as {{Sm|Dark Wizzy}}, {{Sm|Kurama}}, and {{Sm|Snow|p=Japan}}.

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}} and {{SSBU|Kazuya}} having better combo potential, {{SSBU|Steve}} having a superior camping game, {{SSBU|Sonic}} having substantially faster mobility, {{SSBU|Bowser}} having significantly stronger attacks, {{SSBU|Snake}} and {{SSBU|Sora}} having a much more effective recovery, and {{SSBU|Shulk}} and {{SSBU|Min Min}} having drastically larger reach. In particular, the last one is his main weakness: his attacks generally possess relatively poor range.

 

His lack of reach (which was further worsened by the changes to his up-tilt and [[dash grab]]) prevents him from fighting at a safe distance, and consistently forces Mario to approach characters on his own. This leads to him having great difficulty against characters with large or [[disjointed]] range, particularly weapon users like {{SSBU|Lucina}} and {{SSBU|Cloud}}. While back air is Mario's most effective spacing tool, it too suffers from a mediocre range that limits its utility against disjointed attacks, and fireball, while an overall solid projectile, is slow and lacks [[transcendent priority]], which means it can easily be beaten by any attack with a large hitbox, making it mostly an unreliable tool for [[camping]]. While Mario's pressuring capabilities are formidable, his susceptibility to getting spaced out is among the worst in the game due to his moves possessing very stubby and small-sized hitboxes, this results in Mario having a lot of difficulty in approaching and getting his combo game started if his opponents space him properly, as even a character with a slightly disproportionate disjoint can severely limit his ability to get in. In such cases, he will often be forced to rely on reads and make good for what he has when he gets an opening.

Another notable weakness is that Mario can also have some difficulty scoring KOs, as he has few strong and reliable finishers and can have difficulty landing them, especially at high percents, which are further compounded by his short range, which limits his options. Outside of his forward and up smashes, 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 and is unsafe against disjoints, his down aerial has even shorter range and can sometimes have trouble connecting, his back throw is very slow and very susceptible 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’s connecting hits as a KO confirm at low percents anymore if he has high rage, similarly to {{SSBU|Samus}}'s [[Screw Attack]] and [[Peach Parasol]]. 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 noticeable endlag and a sourspot located on Mario's arm, which, while very difficult to hit with, outprioritizes the sweetspot and has rather mediocre power, while the latter has poor range in front of him, to the point where it will sometimes miss completely against short, crouching, or characters with hurtbox shifting properties.

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.

Lastly, some minor weaknesses Mario might also suffer from include a lack of reliable burst options, as due to the small size of his hitboxes, none of his moves (with the exception of up special and neutral aerial) can function reliably as a safe approach or get-off me option against characters that can pressure him well such as {{SSBU|Fox}} or Sonic. Mario might also struggle to get back from ledge as his ledge options slow and predictable, making him vulnerable to getting ledge trapped. While Mario possesses a remarkable air game thanks to his high airspeed, his ground game can sometimes be rather limited due to his dash being slightly below average in speed and his aforementioned range problems, which means he's usually going to rely on rising aerials or grabs to start his combo game which can be predictable.

 

Overall, Mario has many clear strengths and very few exploitable 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 inspite of his respectable edgeguarding game, as one exploit of his defenses can cause him to be unable to recover.

Mario has undergone a mixture of buffs and nerfs in his transition to ''Ultimate'', but despite being directly nerfed overall, the indirect changes to the game's engine drastically benefit his playstyle, and he has also received buffs to some of his underwhelming moves from his ''SSB4'' incarnation. As a result, it is difficult to determine if he was buffed or nerfed 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 potent grab game. Furthermore, his neutral game, while still solid, has been toned down due to changes to some of his best moves. For example, his [[up tilt]], one of his most pivotal moves, has an altered animation, causing the move's initial hitbox to be positioned higher above the ground while worsening its horizontal range; this not only further exacerbates his already bad range, but also significantly hinders the move's use as a reliable follow-up from his [[down throw]] at any percent against most characters, worsening both the move's combo potential and Mario's overall punish ability, as up tilt was considered to his most effective damage racking option. This is partially compensated by up throw's improved combo potential at low percents, however. His [[dash attack]], while it can still serve as a [[2 frame punish]] at the edge, is no longer capable of [[stage spike|stage spiking]] off-stage opponents, due to its late hit's knockback angle being altered to send opponents away from Mario rather than towards him; additionally, the move's new animation gives him less protection overall. Additionally, the increased knockback on his forward tilt causes the move to lose its locking potential. On top of this, [[Super Jump Punch]] sweetspots edges three frames later, to the point of causing Mario to land on the stage and become much more vulnerable if he does not use it from a far enough distance; additionally, due to the changes to [[rage]], it is much less effective for taking out stocks off the upper [[blast line]] below high percents. Finally, the changes to air dodging are a double-edged sword for Mario; while this makes Mario more effective at edgeguarding his opponents, it is conversely also easier for his opponents to edgeguard as a result.

Overall, Mario retains all of his strengths from ''SSB4'', with his extreme combo and edgeguarding abilities benefiting well from the reworked mechanics despite the nerfs to his moves, though he now possesses a slightly worsened disadvantage state to go with it. His playstyle is fundamentally different due to ''Ultimate''{{'}}s reworked mechanics, requiring players to utilize different strategies in order to achieve the same level of effectiveness that his previous incarnation was capable of. Combined with the higher playstyle diversity among the cast, this results in a slightly higher learning curve and cerebral curve. In short, despite his changes, Mario performs similarly effective as in ''SSB4'', remaining a good choice at all levels of play in ''Ultimate''.

With only one nerf to Fireball, Mario was slightly buffed overall in ''Ultimate's'' game updates, most of them being quality-of-life updates to his [[Final Smash]], Mario Finale.  

|neutraldesc=The {{s|mariowiki|Punch}} + Punch + {{s|mariowiki|Kick}} combo from ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario 64}}''. 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.

|ftiltdesc=A wheel 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.

|utiltdesc=A spinning 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 blind spot and making it fairly difficult or even impossible to hit shorter or crouching characters with the move. It vaguely resembles the second hit of the [[mariowiki:List of weapons in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars|Mega Glove]]'s combo from ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars}}''. KOs at 160%.

|dtiltdesc=A legsweep. 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.

|dashdesc=The {{s|mariowiki|Slide Kick}} from ''Super Mario 64''. Has a diagonal knockback angle, making its lingering hitbox useful for [[2 frame punish]]ing certain opponents and punishing spot dodges. The new animation is more unfavorable in terms of hitbox placements.

|fsmashdesc=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 and 90% center stage, 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, necessitating good spacing to land.

|usmashdesc=An upward arcing headbutt. One of Mario's most reliable KO options, being able to KO most middleweights at around 120%. 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.

|dsmashdesc=A breakdancing variation of the {{s|mariowiki|Sweep Kick}} from ''Super Mario 64''. It hits in front of and behind Mario, and both hits [[semi-spike]] opponents, though the front hit is rather weak in comparison to the back hit. Mario's fastest smash attack, coming out as fast as all his tilts. Also capable of hitting ledge hangs. The first hit KOs at 153%, whereas the second KOs at 126%.

|nairdesc=A flying 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. This move bears resemblance to the Jump Kick animation from ''Super Mario 64''.

|fairdesc=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 unless near the ledge.

|bairdesc=A {{s|wikipedia|dropkick}}. 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 KOing at higher percents near the ledge, and can be used twice in a short hop, or with neutral, up and down airs.

|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 KO off the top at high percents.

|pummeldesc=A headbutt. Average power and speed.

|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 KO at around 200% at the ledge. It is based on the throw that he uses against [[Bowser]] in ''Super Mario 64''.

|bthrowdesc= A [[wikipedia:Professional wrestling throws#Giant swing|giant swing]]. 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''.

|uthrowdesc=Heaves the opponent upward. An effective combo throw at low to medium percents, comboing into all aerials except forward air. Due to its new animation, it heavily resembles the Upward {{s|mariowiki|Cap Throw}} from ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario Odyssey}}''.

|dthrowdesc=A [[wikipedia:Professional wrestling throws#Body slam|body slam]]. 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 side kick 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.

|ssdmg=7%, 1.5× (reflection)

|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 slightly change the direction it travels in.

|dsdesc=Wields {{s|mariowiki|F.L.U.D.D.}} to launch a stream of water in front of himself. F.L.U.D.D. can be charged to create a larger stream and its charge time is rather fast. It can also 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 edgeguarding, 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 sufficiently, which further supplements its utility for creating space.

*Jumps out of a {{s|mariowiki|Warp Pipe}} and punches 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 he 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.

|[[File:Mario Cheer English SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Mario Cheer Japanese SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Mario Cheer Italian SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Mario Cheer Dutch SSBU.ogg|center]]||{{NTSC}} [[File:Mario Cheer French NTSC SSBU.ogg|center]] <br> {{PAL}} [[File:Mario Cheer French PAL SSBU.ogg|center]]

|[[File:Mario Cheer German SSBU.ogg|center]]||{{NTSC}} [[File:Mario Cheer Spanish NTSC SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]] <br> {{PAL}} [[File:Mario Cheer Spanish PAL SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Mario Cheer Russian SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Mario Cheer Korean SSBU.ogg|center]]

*'''Left:''' Winds up for a punch and steps forward while punching in front of the screen.

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

==In [[competitive play]]==

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

 

*{{Sm|Dark Wizzy|USA}} - One of the best Mario players of all-time and was the uncontested best from the second half of 2019 to the start of the online metagame due to his streak of top 8s at majors around that time.

*{{Sm|Kurama|USA}} - The best Mario player of all-time who was the uncontested best from mid-2022 to early 2024. He was ranked as high as 11th on the [[UltRank 2022]]. His runner-up placement at {{Trn|Port Priority 7}} and 3rd placement at the {{Trn|Ludwig Smash Invitational}} remain his best performances.

*{{Sm|Ludo|USA}} - One of the best Mario players in North America in the post-online metagame. He has been a consistent regional threat and has made several waves at larger events, including placing 9th at the major {{Trn|MAJOR UPSET}} and 33rd at the supermajors {{Trn|Crown the Third}} and {{Trn|Get On My Level 2023}}.

*{{Sm|Lui$|USA}} - Although more known for his {{SSBU|Fox}} in the early metagame, he also co-mained Mario, using the character to place 7th at the supermajor {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}} and 17th at the supermajor {{Trn|Glitch 7 - Minus World}}. He dropped both characters during the online metagame in favor of {{SSBU|Palutena}}.

*{{Sm|Nao|Japan|p=Hokkaido}} - The uncontested best Mario player in Japan from 2021 to mid-2023. Although he isn't as consistent as other notable Mario players, he has racked up several top 16 placement at majors, including placing 5th at the supermajor {{Trn|Kagaribi 9}} and 13th at the supermajor {{Trn|GENESIS 9}}.

*{{Sm|Snow|Japan|p=Japan}} - Began competing offline in mid-2022 and eventually became the best Mario player in Japan in 2023, with his best runs during this time including placing 2nd at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 13.5 "U-22"}} and 5th at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 14}}. He also eventually became the best Mario player in the world in 2024 and one of the best Mario players of all-time. He has placed in the top 8 of Premier tournaments, getting Mario's best performance of the year with his 3rd place at {{Trn|Umebura SP 11}}, and he also defeated most of the top 5 players of the season, including {{Sm|acola}}, {{Sm|Miya|p=Honshu}}, {{Sm|Sonix}}, and {{Sm|Hurt}}.

 

Upon the release of ''Ultimate'', Mario was received lukewarmly and 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. However, this perception quickly changed thanks to his sizeable playerbase, with many Mario players placing highly at major events. Mario's representation was largely spearheaded by {{Sm|Dark Wizzy}} and {{Sm|Prodigy}}: Dark Wizzy saw a streak of top 8 finishes at majors -- ignoring full disqualifications -- that lasted from {{Trn|Shine 2019}} in August 2019 to {{Trn|GENESIS 7}} 5 months later, while Prodigy 3-0'd {{Sm|MkLeo}} at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}}. Both players showcased how Mario's combo game, while nerfed from the previous game, was still pretty strong and had the potential to zero-to-death opponents. As a result of these strong results, many players agreed that Mario was a top-tier character.

However, the post-pandemic metagame brought about metagame shifts that hurt Mario in the long run. First, some of the new DLC characters introduced during the pandemic period either outranged Mario -- abusing one of his worst weaknesses -- or had a better time fighting him up close. In addition, players began adapting to Mario's zero-to-death combos, making them less deadly. Finally, Dark Wizzy performed notably worse than he did prior to the pandemic, while Mario's overall representation declined as well, going from 9th by the end of 2019<ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AJs-mj5TTdkmkl7nhj4twJymVPTLTUdT0MBToL1cxDs/edit#gid=342014565|title=OrionRank character data for July-December 2019}}</ref> to 21st by the end of 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zTKrF1HOv70Pp8xdJKrRQy3QiMYKLTCstoVNgxymt0o/edit#gid=0|title=OrionRank character data for July-December 2021}}</ref> These setbacks mellowed out opinions on Mario, with players now considering him as only a high-tier character.

Fortunately, Mario's representation saw a rebound in 2022 thanks to Mario's best players remaining dedicated to the character. For one, Prodigy, now going by Kurama, began seeing a streak of strong performances on-par with what Dark Wizzy had pre-pandemic. In addition, although he never regained his former glory, Dark Wizzy still saw strong performances once in a while. Finally, new Mario players began making their marks on the scene, most notably {{Sm|Nao|p=Hokkaido}} and {{Sm|Snow|p=Japan}} in Japan. These positive results helped reverse Mario's declining representation in the metagame as well as opinions on the character. As it stands, Mario is ranked 22nd on the current tier list solidifying his status as a viable high tier, with some players arguing he should be considered a top tier.

|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 (2 at a time). {{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 (3 at a time).<br>The Koopalings are fought in the order they are fought in their debut of ''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 (SSBU)#Fighters|DLC character]].

If Galeem defeats Dharkon, Mario watches in fear as Galeem unleashes a wave of light and is apparently vaporized with the rest of reality. If Dharkon defeats Galeem, Mario is seen lifelessly slumping over as the world is engulfed in darkness.

{{clr}}

Mario's default fighter spirit can be obtained by completing {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} as Mario. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold. 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 spirits 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|81. Goo-Goo Buggy

|{{SpiritTableName|Toadsworth|iw=mariowiki|size=64}}

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

|[[Mario]]

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

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

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

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

|[[Mario]]

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

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

|[[Mario]]

|{{SpiritTableName|Mario (Mario Golf: Super Rush)|customname=[[Mario]] (Mario Golf: Super Rush)|size=64}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Baby Peach|iw=mariowiki|size=64}}

|[[Mario]]

|[[Mario]]

|Jumpman ([[Mario]])

|[[Mario]]

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

|[[Mario]]

|[[Mario]]

|[[Mario]]

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

|[[Mario]] <!-- Do not change the link to Paper Mario; Super Mario Wiki considers Paper Mario in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam and the Mario in the 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.

Sora Trailer.png|Shaking {{SSBU|Sora}}'s hand in his reveal trailer.

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

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

*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 appear to be a little inwards as for the Default or the other alts. With the Builder and the Wedding, the eyebrows noticeably go more outwards when zooming in.