The Mario universe refers to the Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties that hail from Nintendo's expansive and hugely successful Mario videogame franchise. The Mario universe is Nintendo's most lucrative franchise, and it is flat-out the most successful game franchise in global sales and in history. Mario himself is Nintendo's mascot and is considered the most well-known video game character in the world, and he and his many friends and nemeses have appeared in dozens-upon-dozens of Nintendo video games, many of them best-sellers and several of which are considered some of the greatest games ever released. Directly as a result from this, there are more Mario-themed characters, items, and properties to be found in the Smash Bros. series than any other Nintendo franchise, not the least of which are eight distinctive playable characters in Brawl: Mario (who has Dr. Mario in Melee as a clone), Luigi (who has Waluigi as an alternate costume, though he is also an assist trophy), Bowser, Peach (who has Daisy as an alternate costume and Toad as an attack), Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Wario. The Mario universe is so expansive, in fact, that the last four characters are considered stars of their own sub-universes: the Yoshi universe, the Donkey Kong universe, and the Wario universe. The icon that represents it is a Super Mushroom, a common, and probably the most famous item in the Mario games, though the spots on it in the Mario games where not present in the original Super Smash Bros. or Melee, but they are in Brawl.
Franchise description
Nintendo had an arcade game called Radar Scope that was successful in Japan but not very much so in the United States. The then Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi turned to the young game developer Shigeru Miyamoto and entrusted him with the development of a new game, which would be built from units of the Radar Scope game. Miyamoto came up with the game Donkey Kong, the game that would be the debut for the characters Mario (then referred to as "Jumpman" but later named Mario by Yamauchi due to Mario's comical resemblance to Nintendo of America's landlord, Mario Segale) as the hero and the ape Donkey Kong as the enemy. Mario reappeared in Donkey Kong Jr. under his proper name, and he appeared again along with his newly introduced brother Luigi in the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros, battling the turtle-like Shellcreepers as also-introduced enemies.
It was not until the 1985 release of Super Mario Bros. for the Famicom/NES that the Mario franchise exploded into international renown. A side-scrolling platformer developed by Shigeru Miyamoto to feature far more attractive gameplay, graphical, and audio elements than any game beforehand, Super Mario Bros. became a worldwide hit, holding the Guinness World Record for best-selling game of all time (40 million units), cementing Nintendo as a world-renowned corporation by 1986, and single-handedly beginning a new era of video gaming that would evolve over many years to become what gaming is today. Super Mario Bros. introduced the Mushroom Kingdom as the fictional world that Mario and Luigi live in, and it introduced Princess "Peach" Toadstool as a main damsel-in-distress and Mario's love interest, as well as the turtle-like Koopa King, Bowser, as the consistent series nemesis, along with many other Mario-related elements such as Super Mushrooms and Starmen as power-up items, Goombas and Piranha Plants as enemies, Princess Peach's Castle as a location, and Toad as another character introduced.
The 8-bit NES-era that took place as a result of Super Mario Bros. featured several Mario follow-up games. 1989's Super Mario Bros. 2 was modeled off a Japan-only side-scroller called Doki-Doki Panic and released in the U.S., thereby introducing Shy Guys as mainstay Mario enemies. Then Super Mario Bros. 3 was released in 1990 and introduced more elements to the Mario franchise, such as suit upgrades like Raccoon Mario and minor characters such as Bowser's seven children. Both games were massive successes as well. Then when it came time to release the SNES for the 16-bit era, Yamanouchi assigned Miyamoto to develop Super Mario World, once again a massively successful side-scrolling platformer. The game introduced Yoshi, a dinosaur that would serve forever afterward as Mario's mount and pet-like companion in subsequent Mario games, as well as a star of some of its own games, including the 1995 SNES sequel Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, which further introduced characters such as Baby Mario.
By this time, in addition, a Mario spin-off game for Game Boy, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, had introduced an "evil counterpart" to Mario, the series anti-hero Wario. Also by this time, Donkey Kong had successfully been integrated into his own series of games, starting with Donkey Kong Country. Nintendo's next system was the Nintendo 64. The primary launch game was the seminal Super Mario 64, the game to define the term "3D platformer" and therefore become one of the most influential games ever, contributing to the system's success and helping to permanently usher in an era of 3D gaming. Every Mario game released afterward, for pretty much whatever genre and system involved, would continue to conform to a generally high quality of design and would usually garner high-scoring reviews from the press, and the Mario franchise's appearances in 1999's Super Smash Bros. and 2001's Super Smash Bros. Melee would not be any different.
As a whole, the Mario franchise is essentially Nintendo's primary thematic tileset with which to create games of various genres that adhere to a colorful aesthetic. There have been a lot of games featuring Mario and his many cohorts and nemesis released regularly for the past two decades, and more recent games include side-scrolling platformers like New Super Mario Bros. and Super Princess Peach for the DS; 3D platforming adventures such as Super Mario Sunshine for GameCube and Super Mario Galaxy for Wii; a series of popular kart-racing games under the banner of Mario Kart; a long-running series of multiplayer-based party games under the Mario Party name; sub-series of Mario sports games such as Golf and Tennis, among other sports; Role-Playing games like Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story for DS and Super Paper Mario for the Wii; and of course, the Super Smash Bros. series of fighting games. Aside from the RPGs, however, Mario games rarely feature long, emotionally involved storylines to facilitate character development; the various characters and properties of the Mushroom Kingdom are generally meant to represent personalities in a game-like atmosphere rather than storybook characterization and plot progression such as that seen in a Fire Emblem game.
In Super Smash Bros.
The Mario universe easily outnumbers every other universe represented in Super Smash Bros. in playable characters, stages, and items.
Characters
With two of the twelve fighters hailing directly from the Mushroom Kingdom and two other fighters from branches of the franchise, Mario was hands-down the most extensively represented franchise in the Smash Bros. series from the start. HAL Laboratory originally planned to include Peach and Bowser as part of the Smash roster, but technical limitations forced their removal.
- Mario: Himself a somewhat short, pudgy, and mustachioed man with a big nose and simplistic attire somewhat reminiscent of a plumber, with blue overalls, red cap, and white gloves as iconic features, Mario is the undisputed mascot of Nintendo and is the most well-known video game character in the world. He has appeared in many, many Nintendo games spanning a large variety of genres, such as platforming, kart racing, sports, and puzzle games, and in almost every appearance he is playable as the most balanced character of that game. He is made to be the most balanced character of the Super Smash Bros. roster, of which this is his first appearance in a fighting game, and new Smash players are encouraged to try out the game as him because of that. While he does not have glaring weaknesses, the fact that he is designed to have no especially powerful strengths either makes only high tier, not top tier.
- Luigi: Mario's younger, lankier brother in green rather than red has always been relegated to the role of Mario series co-star. In many Mario games where Luigi appears, he is a selectable alternative character to Mario, such as in the Mario Kart and Mario Party game series, while in some games like Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for GBA, the brothers are on equal terms in importance. There have even been instances where Luigi was the main star in Mario's place, such as in the GameCube puzzle-adventure game Luigi's Mansion where Luigi must use a vacuum-cleaner to suck up ghosts in a haunted mansion to rescue Mario. In Super Smash Bros., Luigi appears as an unlockable, alternative fighter to Mario, with his own unique quirks in his fighting style.
Also see Yoshi and Donkey Kong.
Common Enemy
The Mario series is one of two universes in SSB64 to feature a stage where a minor character appears as a stage obstacle, the other universe being the Pokémon universe (Silph Co.).
- Piranha Plant: A long-standing common enemy in Mario games resembling a sentient plant with a bulbous head with a gaping, fanged mouth. It first appeared in Super Mario Bros. as a common enemy hiding in the warp pipes that Mario would either jump over or travel through, and they damaged him either by appearing when he was about to collide with them or by breathing fire balls in his direction. The Piranha Plants appear from out of the Warp Pipes on the unlockable Mushroom Kingdom stage and will damage whichever fighter they come into contact with. These are, however, very easy to to avoid, as they will not appear out of these pipes if the character is on them or standing very near them to begin with.
Stages
The Mario universe is the only franchise to feature in more than one stage in this game. Super Smash Bros. features the following stages that are specifically Mario:
- Peach's Castle: An elevated stage representing Princess Peach's castle from the Mario games, but many feel that it does not resemble Super Mario 64 enough. It has a decidedly non-traditional layout of platforms and an aerial bumper.
- Mushroom Kingdom: The game's one unlockable stage, Mushroom Kingdom is an audiovisual throwback to the original Super Mario Bros. It features suspended platforms and pipes to travel through with Piranha Plant hazards, like in the old game.
Also see Yoshi's Island and Congo Jungle.
Items
Likewise, there are more items based on Mario-based games than any other franchise. Including the Donkey Kong universe as part of this list will consequently include the Hammer as a Mario item:
- Bob-omb: A walking bomb that usually patrols around and explodes when it feels like in the Mario games, making it very dangerous to Mario to run into in his games. In some games Bob-omb can be picked up and thrown at an opponent as a volatile projectile; this is the style of Bob-omb usage featured in its appearance as an item in Smash.
- Fire Flower: A semi-sentient flower imbued with the power of fire. In many Mario platformers, Mario and Luigi can pick this up and gain the ability to launch fireballs from their hands. In Smash Bros., however, it is used more as a weapon that can be wielded to project a continuous stream of fire into the area in front of the wielder.
- Green Shell: Bowser's army of turtle underlings, called Koopa Troopas, come in several colors of these protective shells. Green-shelled Koopas often walk off the edges of platforms, and if jumped on by Mario, the Koopa will be ejected from its shell. The now-empty Green Shell can then be used as a weapon, either kicked at enemies or thrown at them. As a Smash item, it can be picked-up and thrown at enemies to do damage and often cause them to be sent flying a far distance.
- Red Shell: Bowser's army of turtle underlings, called Koopa Troopas, come in several colors of these protective shells. Red-shelled Koopas often patrol platforms from either end and do not fall off the edges, and if jumped on by Mario, the Koopa will be ejected from its shell. The now-empty Red Shell can then be used as a weapon, either kicked at enemies or thrown at them. As a Smash item, when set in motion, the red shell will spin by itself on the ground and head towards the X-position of the nearest character on the stage for a short period of time, and characters hit by it will receive some damage and be bounced.
- Starman: This coveted power-up found in many Mario platformers is a five-sided semi-sentient glowing yellow star that bounces around, and if Mario can touch it, he will be made invincible for a short period of time, during which any enemy that touches him will be defeated. It functions much like that in Smash, though opponents won't be damaged for touching you, but while under the influence of a Starman, you will not take damage nor will you be knocked back by anything.
Music
These are the following Music entries in the Sound Test related to the Mario series:
- 5: A remix of the original stages music from the original Super Mario Bros. It is in fact, a mixture of the World Ground and Underground themes. It is heard in Peach's Castle.
- 13: A perfect preservation of the original beep-boop first stage music for the original Super Mario Bros, heard in Mushroom Kingdom.
- 14: A perfect preservation of the original beep-boop "Hurry Up" version of the normal stage music heard in the original Super Mario Bros. for NES, appearing in Mushroom Kingdom to replace the previous track when there are 30 seconds left to the end of the match.
- 15: The victory fanfare of Mario and Luigi is an orchestration of the standard "Stage Complete" theme heard in the original Super Mario Bros.
- 27: A remix of the "invincible" music that would occur when Mario picks up a Starman in Super Mario Bros. and other platforming games, and it occurs when you pick up the Starman item during a match.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee is far more substantial than Super Smash Bros., and the amount of properties from the Mario universe are increased proportionally.
Characters
Five of the 25+ fighters are Mario characters. Again, if counting the sub-universes, Yoshi and Donkey Kong may be considered additions to this list:
- Mario: By tradition, Mario returns as the most balanced character of the Melee roster, and new Melee players are encouraged to try out the game as him because of that. His new B-Forward move is his cape from Super Mario World. He is is designed to have no real weak points but no especially powerful strengths either, so he is not made to be all that high-tier a fighter.
- Bowser: A new and original fighter, Mario's arch-enemy is heftier and slower than any other fighter thus far. Bowser is often made to be a final boss in many Mario games, while in several other cases he is a selectable character in games like Mario Kart. Bowser is constantly trying to kidnap Princess Peach and take over the Mushroom Kingdom with his army of Koopa Troopas, Goombas, and others. A brutish, oafish, and sarcastically witty character with the ability to breathe fire in all his appearances in games, Bowser is one of the most recognizable videogame villains, though there have been cases where he shows a limited capacity for good. As a fighter in Melee, Bowser wields great power and bulk but lacks enough agility that he is considered very hard to use effectively in the competitive metagame.
- Peach: A new and original fighter, Peach is a damsel-in-distress for Mario to rescue from Bowser's clutches in many Mario games. She is the princess who assumes lordship over the Mushroom Kingdom with her half-sized mushroom-headed servants named Toad. She is oftentimes playable in Mario Tennis, Golf, and Kart games, however, and in many cases she will play in matches against Bowser himself. While she has always been a leading character in Mario games, in 2006 she got her first starring role in Super Princess Peach for the DS, and had also shown fighting abilities in Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario RPG prior to her appearance as a fighter in Melee. In Melee, Peach is able to spend a long time in the air with her ability to float. Somewhat ironically, Peach herself is the highest ranked charcter from the Mario series.
- Luigi: Returning as an unlockable character and alternative to Mario, Luigi gains his Green Missile as his new B-Forward move. Luigi is not a high-tier character, but his very long and floaty Wavedash makes him excellent as a character to practice with when in the process of learning advanced techniques.
- Dr. Mario: A new fighter that functions as a direct and unlockable clone to Mario. Dr. Mario is a puzzle-game spin-off of the Mario franchise that was released for the NES and Game Boy in 1990 in which Mario dons the garb of a medicine man and throws Megavitamins into a bottle to destroy three species of Viruses trapped within. It was re-released in several compilations and remakes for several different systems in the years afterward, with only one true sequel in Dr. Mario 64 in 2001. Dr. Mario himself as a fighter is a nearly identical copy of Mario but with slightly altered specifications all around. In general, "Doc" is a little heavier and stronger than Mario but with a shorter reach, and he shoots out Megavitamins instead of fire balls. Some consider Doc higher-tier than Mario.
- In addition, a boss character named Giga Bowser is featured at the end of Melee's adventure mode, and he is a character belonging to the Smash Bros. universe, but since his design is an alternative, mutated, and enlarged form of Bowser above, some consider him a "half-Mario" property.
Common Enemies
Melee features several non-fighter enemies as easily KO'ed obstacles in some stages of the Adventure mode. The first stage of the Adventure mode, Mushroom Kingdom Adventure, features set assortments of the following Mario-series common enemies:
- Goombas: These squat, walking brown mushrooms with faces are described as traitors to the Mushroom Kingdom that operate under the employ of Bowser. In classic Mario platformers, Goombas sidle from side to side and damage whoever they bump into, but they are easily defeated by bouncing off their heads. This is fully reflected in their appearances in Melee.
- Koopa Troopas: These turtle-like henchmen of Bowser's army retract into their shells when jumped upon, and while withdrawn the shells can either be kicked picked up and thrown at other enemies in many Mario platformers. Their green shells indicate that they and their shells will walk or roll right off the edge of a platform if they get to the edge. This is fully reflected in their appearances in Melee. Since most attacks will only force them into their shells, all varieties of Koopa Troopa must be grabbed to KO them.
- Koopa Paratroopas: An upgraded version of the Koopa Troopa, these sport wings and fly around in set patterns, and when Mario jumps on them in mid-air, they lose their wings and convert into Koopa Troopa enemies, in effect giving these enemies additional life. This is fully reflected in their appearances in Melee.
- Red Koopa Troopas: A red palette swap of the Koopa Troopa enemy, the red shell indicates that a Red Koopa Troopa will turn around and walk the other direction when it walks to the edge of a platform.
- Red Koopa Paratroopas: The upgraded Paratroopa version of the Red Koopa Troopa, this will become a Red Koopa Troopa when it is hit or bounced on once.
- Fly Guys: These appear as obstacles on the Yoshi's Island stage, however, carrying food. While they originated in the Yoshi universe, their main-species Shy Guy debuted in Super Mario Bros. 2, creating a cross-over between the universes.
Stages
Super Smash Bros. Melee features no less than ten stages representative of the whole Mario franchise, though only the four Mario-centric stages are covered below. For Yoshi-universe stages, see Yoshi's Island: Yoshi's Island, Yoshi's Island: Yoshi's Story, and Past Stages: Yoshi's Island, while for Donkey Kong-universe stages, see DK Island: Kongo Jungle, DK Island: Jungle Japes, and Past Stages: Kongo Jungle.
- Mushroom Kingdom: Princess Peach's Castle: Taking place on the rooftops of Peach's castle, this stage is far more representative of the castle in its Super Mario 64-onward incarnation. Giant Bullet Bills routinely dive into the stage and let off huge spherical explosions.
- Mushroom Kingdom: Rainbow Cruise: In homage to the final stage of Super Mario 64, itself an aerial obstacle course, this stage has a scrolling camera and players must battle along with it amongst the many moving and collapsing platforms.
- Mushroom: Kingdom: The spiritual successor to the Mushroom Kingdom stage of the original Smash Bros., Kingdom is a similar throwback to the old Super Mario Bros., with appropriate graphics and audio.
- Mushroom: Kingdom II: This stage functions as a throwback to Super Mario Bros. 2 much like the previous Kingdom. Pidgit and Birdo make appearances as stage obstacles.
In addition, a stage based on the Goomba trophy is used as the battlefield for the Event mode match Trophy Tussle 1. it is not available as a multiplayer arena. Completing the Event match earns the Goomba trophy itself.
A stage featured in Melee's Adventure Mode but not available for multiplayer Melee matches is referred to as Mushroom Kingdom Adventure. As the first stage of the Adventure mode, this designed in the style of a classic Mario platformer, complete with Koopa Troopas and Goombas as common enemies.
Items
Likewise, there are more items based on the Mario universe than any other franchise. See Barrel Cannon and Hammer for Donkey Kong-centric items:
- Bob-omb: Returns from SSB essentially unaltered as a very potent throwable projectile.
- Fire Flower: Returns from SSB essentially unaltered in function and purpose.
- Freezie: A new item hailing from Mario Bros. In Melee, when it appears, it slides in one direction and will fall off the stage if not picked up in time. It can be hurled at an opponent to encase that opponent in a slab of ice, and he will be temporarily immobilized as you whale on him and pile on the damage without any knockback.
- Green Shell: Returns from SSB essentially unaltered in function and purpose.
- Metal Box: A new item based on the Metal power-up box introduced in Super Mario 64, which would change Mario into Metal Mario and give him much greater power but weight as well. It does just that as an item in Melee, turning the character temporarily into a living metal model of themselves and increasing his resiliency but also his dropping weight.
- Poison Mushroom: A new item. After the release of Super Mario Bros., a direct sequel was released in Japan afterward that would later be released stateside as "The Lost Levels", part of the package for Super Mario All-Stars for the Super NES, and it featured mushrooms that looked similar to Super Mushrooms but would actually hurt Mario instead of make him bigger if he grabbed it. The Poison Mushroom is a Melee item that looks like the Super Mushroom but will cause the character it touches to temporarily become tiny, and therefore much weaker.
- Red Shell: Returns from SSB essentially unaltered in function and purpose.
- Starman: Returns from SSB essentially unaltered in function and purpose.
- Super Mushroom: A new item based on the classic Super Mushroom powerup of many Mario games, starting from Super Mario Bros. onward. In many of its appearances, the Super Mushroom increases whoever grabs it in size and extends his life meter by 1. In Melee, touching it enlarges the character to make it bulkier and stronger for a duration of time. It looks nearly identical to its polar opposite, the Poison Mushroom, so if both items can appear in a match, it is hard for the player to tell what kind of mushroom it is when one of these two mushrooms appear, so grabbing it may be a risk.
Music
- 1: Princess Peach's Castle: An orchestrated remix of the famous stage music from the original Super Mario Bros, with elements of the same game's "underground" stage theme overlapping with it. It is heard on the Mushroom Kingdom: Princess Peach's Castle stage in Vs. Mode, and also as the primary music of Mushroom Kingdom Adventure.
- 2: Rainbow Cruise: A medley of two Mario series tracks. The first half of the track is the remixed first half of an energized tune heard in Super Mario 64, while the second half is a remix of the underwater stage tune heard in Super Mario Bros..
- 10: Yoshi's Island: A repeating banjo track heard in several levels in Super Mario World for SNES. It appears on Yoshi's Island: Yoshi's Island.
- 21: Mushroom Kingdom: A perfect preservation of the original beep-boop normal stage music heard in the original Super Mario Bros. for NES, appearing in Mushroom: Kingdom as the primary song.
- 22: Mushroom Kingdom (Finale): A perfect preservation of the original beep-boop "Hurry Up" version of the normal stage music heard in the original Super Mario Bros. for NES, appearing in Mushroom: Kingdom as the primary song when the match's timer is running low.
- 23: Mushroom Kingdom II: A perfect preservation of the original beep-boop normal stage music heard in the original Super Mario Bros. 2, appearing in Mushroom: Kingdom II as the primary song.
- 24: Mushroom Kingdom II (Finale): A perfect preservation of the original Boss music in the original Super Mario Bros. 2 for NES, appearing in Mushroom: Kingdom II as the primary song when the match's timer is running low.
- 30: Super Mario Bros. 3: A synthesized rock-based medley of the first stage music and the first overworld music in Super Mario Bros. 3 for NES. It is heard as a secondary track in the single-player Mushroom Kingdom Adventure.
- 36: Dr. Mario: A synthesized remix of the first of two primary musics heard in Dr. Mario for NES. This is heard as a secondary track of both Mushroom: Kingdom and Mushroom: Kingdom II.
- 38: Mario's Victory: The victory fanfare of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and Dr. Mario is an orchestration of the standard "Stage Complete" theme heard in Super Mario Bros.
- 76: Hammer: Sped-up beep-boop music that occurs when you pick up the Hammer, in homage to the music that would occur when Mario would pick up a hammer in the original Donkey Kong.
- 77: Starman: A remix of the "invincible" music that would occur when Mario picks up a Starman in Super Mario Bros. and other platforming games, and it occurs when you pick up the Starman during a match.
Full trophy list
This list counts the Mario universe and all of its sub-universes.
- Mario's three game trophies
- Bowser's three game trophies
- Peach's three game trophies
- Luigi's three game trophies
- Dr. Mario's three game trophies
- Baby Mario (trophy)
- Baby Bowser (trophy)
- Birdo (trophy)
- Bob-omb (trophy)
- Boo (trophy)
- Bucket (trophy)
- Bullet Bill (trophy)
- Coin (trophy)
- Daisy (trophy)
- Fire Flower (trophy)
- Freezie
- Goomba (trophy)
- Green Shell
- Koopa Clown Car
- Koopa Paratroopa
- Koopa Troopa
- Lakitu (trophy)
- Mario and Yoshi (trophy)
- Megavitamins (trophy)
- Metal Box (trophy)
- Metal Mario (trophy)
- Paper Mario (trophy)
- Pidgit (trophy)
- Plum (trophy)
- Poison Mushroom (trophy)
- Princess Peach's Castle (trophy)
- Raccoon Mario (trophy)
- Racing Kart (trophy)
- Red Shell (trophy)
- Starman (trophy)
- Shy Guys (trophy)
- Super Mushroom (trophy)
- Thwomp (trophy)
- Toad (trophy)
- Vegetable (trophy)
- Viruses (trophy)
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In a maneuver both traditional and expected, Mario-based content has been revealed by both trailers and numerous site updates to be featured in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The sub-franchise of Mario revolving around series anti-hero Wario has been recognized as its own universe for this game, see Wario (universe). Mario is third only to Pokemon and Zelda in terms of total characters (counting the Pokemon trainer as three separate characters and Zelda/Sheik two) and has twice as many stages as the next most represented franchises.
Characters
Four characters from the Mario franchise are playable in Brawl, not counting any sub-franchises, in which case the total number is eight.
- Mario: Mario himself was the first fighter showcased, and he is given a slight character model redesign for his appearance in Brawl. He is also armed with the F.L.U.D.D. this time around, and at least one of his standard moves is known to have been replaced with the Mario Tornado, his down B from previous games in the series. Like the rest of the Brawl roster Mario has a new special move called a Final Smash. His Final Smash in particular is a fireball that expands and engulfs the stage, called the Mario Finale. Ironically, Mario is the lowest-ranked character from his universe at the present (ranking 31st out of 37), his balance an impediment when others excel in many areas.
- Princess Peach: Her Toad special move and some of her throws appear to remain intact, and according to a recent issue of Famitsu, her Vegetable attack has been updated, now allowing her to pick up gigantic turnips under certain conditions. Her Final Smash, Peach Blossom, involves Peach blowing numerous kisses that damage all enemies and put them to sleep while a vast amount of peaches fall from the sky. The other players stay asleep for some time, depending on how close they are to Peach when she uses the attack, so it doubles as a health-restoring move and a free hit. She has fallen from her high Melee showing to 19th on the tier list, but is still a solid choice.
- Bowser: Bowser has also been confirmed to reappear from his appearance in Melee. Sakurai has mentioned that he has a "slightly different flavor" this time around, suggesting that his play style has changed to make him a more capable fighter than he was last game. His Final Smash is Giga Bowser Transformation, in which he transforms himself to Giga Bowser for a short period of time. This marks the first time in the series that Giga Bowser will be legally playable. Bowser is considered 3rd the best of the Mario universe characters, clocking in at 27th on the tier list.
- Luigi: Luigi returns as an unlockable veteran once again. As usual, he is similar to his brother, Mario, though unlike Mario, who received a new Down Special Move to replace his old Mario Tornado, Luigi still retains his Luigi Cyclone. Luigi's Final Smash, Negative Zone, creates a huge circular field of energy that has random effects on enemies caught inside. He is currently 21st on the tier list, his crazy physics both a boon and a curse.
Boss
- Petey Piranha: A recurring character in contemporary Mario games, Petey appears in the Subspace Emissary mode as a Boss. He captures Peach and Zelda in cages, and uses them to attack the player. The player's goal is to free one of the princesses by attacking their cage. When Petey is defeated, the most damaged cage is broken, and the princess inside is saved. The unsaved one is then turned into a trophy by Wario.
Assist Trophies
The Mario franchise features easily the most commonly summoned Assist Trophy characters with a total of three (whereas no other represented franchise has more than one)
- Hammer Bro: A single member of the duo that Mario has fought since Super Mario Bros., Hammer Bro somewhat predictably tosses hammers at the foe when summoned, and then disappears.
- Lakitu: Appearing in his original 8-bit form from Super Mario Bros., Lakitu throws Spinies at the ground, which wander around damaging players like they did in the original game.
- Waluigi: Luigi's answer to Wario, known almost exclusively through his Mario spin-off appearances. Waluigi runs to an opponent, stomps them into the ground, and then either finishes them off with a solid kick or a smack with his tennis racket.
Common Enemies
- Goomba: Confirmed first in the Sonic Joins the Brawl video, they have been confirmed as common enemies. They were recently seen helping several of Bowser's minions in stealing Donkey Kong's & Diddy Kong's banana hoard, possibly to lure the two Kongs into Bowser's clutches. They appear in later stages as well, such as the Great Maze, as common enemies.
- Koopa Troopa: Confirmed in the Subspace Emissary, the Koopa Troopas help steal Donkey Kong's and Diddy Kong's banana hoard, and are also seen occasionally as basic enemies.
- Koopa Paratroopa: Confirmed as well in the Subspace Emissary, the Koopa Paratroopas, along with several more of Bowser's minions, help steal Donkey Kong's and Diddy Kong's banana hoard. They float in midair, as well as hop to and fro. They appear throughout the Adventure Mode as generic foes, typically defeated in one or two hits.
- Hammer Bro.: Also appears to be a common enemy in the Subspace Emissary mode. They also appear as Assist Trophies, and when summoned, throw several hammers at foes. However, because they do not aim at enemies directly, the hammers are fairly easy to dodge, and do little damage.
- Bullet Bill: Confirmed as common enemies, and behave similarly to how they acted in Mario platformers, shooting across the screen to hit the player character.
Stages
- Delfino Plaza: Based on the main hub area from Super Mario Sunshine. Taking place at first on a platform, the stage flies around and through the plaza area and touches down at certain parts, where the current area in the plaza itself then becomes the ground for the stage for a period of time, and then the platform swoops in and carries you to another area. The stage's movement mechanics seem similar to Melee's Mute City.
- Luigi's Mansion: Luigi's Mansion is based off of the game, Luigi's Mansion. There are pillars in the mansion that can be destroyed to make the whole mansion fall apart. The Mansion eventually comes back together again.
- Mushroomy Kingdom: While the two previous Smash games have featured Mushroom Kingdom stages based on the original Super Mario Bros., Mushroomy Kingdom is a full recreation of World 1-1 from Super Mario Bros., apparently aged since the original Super Mario Bros from a vibrant green land into a barren desert. However, there is a twist -- while the previous Mushroom Kingdom stages were in a pixel-art style, the Mushroomy Kingdom stage is a completely enhanced version of the stage, even featuring a fitting mix of the original Overworld theme. From time to time, World 1-2, an underground level, will load, instead of World 1-1.
- Mario Circuit: This stage is based off of the Mario Kart series, and takes place at an intersection of a figure-8 track, with Shy Guys racing through it on karts. Players can be damaged if they make contact with any passing Shy Guys.
- Mario Bros.: A recreation of the classic Mario Bros. game, complete with enemies. A stage that almost completely throws the rules of Smash out the window, KOing opponents normally here is notoriously difficult due to the way the stage is arranged. Instead, the enemies are a player's main means of scoring KOs by using them as projectile weapons.
- Melee Stages: Rainbow Cruise: A returning stage from Melee. It is basically unaltered.
Items
- Banana Peel: A staple "weapon" from the Mario Kart series which racers typically drop behind them so that racers behind run over them and spin out and get slowed down. In Brawl when it is thrown on the ground by a character, his opponents will slip on it and fall down if they step on it, getting slightly damaged and being temporarily incapacitated.
- Bob-omb: The Bob-omb returns from SSB and SSBM essentially unaltered as a very potent throwing weapon.
- Fire Flower: The Fire Flower returns from SSB and SSBM essentially unaltered in function and purpose. However, thanks to the new physics of SSBB, it can now be used while moving around and jumping.
- Freezie: The Freezie returns from SSBM essentially unaltered in function and purpose.
- Golden Hammer: The Golden Hammer is an item in SSBB, originating from the game Wrecking Crew. It acts similarly to a regular Hammer, but it improved in every way. It is more powerful, is swung faster, and can even let the user float in midair. However, it is exceptionally rare. Also, like the Hammer's Headless Hammer, the Golden Hammer can become the Golden Squeaky Hammer, which is useless and a liability the character is trapped into "using" until it disappears (but at least its hammer head does not fall off so that opponents can pick it up and throw it at you).
- Green Shell: The Green Shell returns from SSB and SSBM essentially unaltered in function and purpose.
- Hothead: A new item hailing from Super Mario World. This fiery sun-like entity travels across and around platforms and walls, damaging what it collides with, both in the original game and in Brawl when picked up and thrown by a character. The Hothead does not harm the character that activates it.
- Lightning Bolt: Hailing from the Mario Kart series, it does exactly what it does in the Mario Kart series, shrinking all characters on the field except for the one who used it. However, it occasionally backfires, and shrinks the player who activated it. It also may shrink every player.
- Metal Box: The Metal Box returns from SSBM essentially unaltered in function and purpose. It is also a mode on Special Brawl.
- Peach: Although debuting in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it can't be considered a part of the Super Smash Bros. universe as it only comes after Peach Blossom. It also heals some damage for the characters that take them.
- Poison Mushroom: The Poison Mushroom returns from SSBM essentially unaltered in function and purpose. It also returns as a mode in Special Brawl.
- Starman: Returns from SSB and SSBM essentially unaltered in function and purpose.
- Super Mushroom: Returns from SSBM essentially unaltered in function and purpose.
Music
- Delfino Plaza - Taken directly from Super Mario Sunshine, this was the music that played in the hub overworld of Delfino Plaza, with the "Yoshi" woodblock rhythym inserted at a point. It is the theme of the Delfino Plaza stage.
- Title/Ending (Super Mario World) - A remix/medley of two songs from Super Mario World--the title screen music, as well as the credits music. It is used on the Delfino Plaza stage. This song is also played during both Mario and Peach's Classic Mode credits.
- Main Theme (New Super Mario Bros.) - A completely redone version of the theme that plays on the generic overworld stages in New Super Mario Bros. accompained with the "Level Complete" theme at the end. It is used on the Delfino Plaza stage.
- Ricco Harbor - This is the background music of Ricco Harbor, the second level of Super Mario Sunshine. This track is taken directly from said game, and it is used on the Delfino Plaza stage.
- Main Theme (Super Mario 64) - The music that plays on many levels from Super Mario 64, this is taken directly from the same game. It is used on the Delfino Plaza stage.
- Luigi's Mansion Theme - A haunting orchestrated version of the main theme to Luigi's Mansion. It is the theme of the Luigi's Mansion stage. This song also plays during Luigi's Classic Mode credits.
- Airship Theme (Super Mario Bros. 3) - An orchestrated remix of the Airship theme from Super Mario Bros. 3. A similar remix is heard in Super Mario Galaxy. It is used on the Luigi's Mansion stage.
- Castle/Boss Fortress (Super Mario World/SMB3) - A techno styled medley of the fortress music from Super Mario World as well as the boss music from Super Mario Bros. 3. It is used on the Luigi's Mansion stage.
- Mario Circuit - A techno styled remix of one of the most used track themes from the original Super Mario Kart, starting with the first Mario Circuit track. It is the theme of the Mario Circuit stage.
- Luigi Circuit - A remix of an oft used racetrack background music from Mario Kart 64, the first being the eponymous Luigi Raceway. It is used on the Mario Circuit stage.
- Waluigi Pinball - Completely redone, this is a version of the Waluigi Pinball racetrack background music from Mario Kart DS. It is used on the Mario Circuit stage.
- Rainbow Road - Taken directly from Mario Kart Double Dash!!, this was the background music that played on Rainbow Road, the final track in both this title as well as all other Mario Kart games excluding the retro courses featured in Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii. It is used on the Mario Circuit stage.
- Mario Tennis/Mario Golf - A medley of various songs from both Mario Golf games as well as both Mario Tennis games for the N64 and GCN. It is used on the Mario Circuit stage.
- Ground Theme (Super Mario Bros.) - A soothing remix of the very well known Mario theme song. It is theme of the 1-1 variant of the Mushroomy Kingdom stage.
- Ground Theme 2 (Super Mario Bros.) - A more upbeat remix of the same Mario theme song. It is used on the 1-1 variant of the Mushroomy Kingdom stage.
- Gritzy Desert - A completely redone version of the Gritzy Desert background music from the DS RPG Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. It is used on the 1-1 variant of the Mushroomy Kingdom stage.
- Underground Theme (Super Mario Bros.) - An ambiance laden remix of the popular underground theme from the original Super Mario Bros. It is the theme of the 1-2 variant of the Mushroomy Kingdom stage.
- Underwater Theme (Super Mario Bros.) - An eccentric song that remixes Underwater Theme from Super Mario Bros.: it first starts off as the original NES version, then becomes a orchestrated version and finally turns into a bluegrass version. It is used on the Mario Bros. stage.
- Underground Theme (Super Mario Land) - A remix of the underground theme from the original Game Boy hit Super Mario Land. It is used on the 1-2 variant of the Mushroomy Kingdom stage.
- Mario Bros. - A medley of the of stage starting theme based on Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik and the title screen jingle from the original Arcade game Mario Bros. It is the theme of the Mario Bros. stage.
- Power-Up Music - Taken directly from Wrecking Crew, this was the song that played when Mario grabbed the Magic Hammer. It is used on the Mario Bros. stage, and also plays when any character grabs a Golden Hammer.
- Chill (Dr. Mario) - A remix of the "Chill" music from the popular puzzler Dr. Mario. It is used on the Flat Zone 2 stage.
- Rainbow Cruise (Melee) - Taken directly from Melee. It is the theme of the Rainbow Cruise stage.
- Peach's Castle (Melee) - Taken directly from Melee. It is used on the Rainbow Cruise stage.
- Super Mario Bros. 3 (Melee) - Taken directly from Melee. It is used on the Yoshi's Island (Melee) stage.
- Dr. Mario (Melee) - Taken directly from Melee. It is used on the PictoChat stage.
- Mario Series victory theme - An orchestrated version of the "level complete" fanfare from the original Super Mario Bros.
- ' ' Hacker have found music not included in Brawl.
Trophies
- Mario
- Mario Finale
- Bowser
- Giga Bowser
- Princess Peach
- Peach Blossom
- Luigi
- Negative Zone
- Striker Mario
- Striker Daisy
- Paper Mario
- Paper Luigi
- Paper Bowser
- Paper Peach
- Wedding Bowser
- Wedding Peach
- Goomba
- Koopa Troopa (Green)
- Koopa Troopa (Red)
- Koopa Paratroopa (Green)
- Koopa Paratroopa (Red)
- Bullet Bill
- Giant Goomba
- Piranha Plant
- Lakitu & Spinies
- Hammer Bro
- Petey Piranha
- Buzzy Beetle
- Shy Guy
- Boo
- Cheep Cheep
- Blooper
- Toad
- Toadette
- Toadsworth
- Goombella
- Fracktail
- Wiggler
- Dry Bones
- Chain Chomp
- Perry
- Bowser Jr.
- Birdo
- Kritter (Goalie)
- Ballyhoo & Big Top
- F.L.U.D.D.
- Poltergust 3000
- Luigi's Mansion
- Ghosts
- Super Mushroom
- Poison Mushroom
- Starman
- Metal Box
- Lightning
- Golden Hammer
- Fire Flower
- Bob-omb
- Freezie
- Hothead
- Green Shell
- Banana Peel
- Soccer Ball
- Waluigi
- Shellcreepers
- Sidesteppers
Stickers
- Toad
- Rawk Hawk
- Starman
- Pianta
- Dice Block
- Toadette
- Super Mushroom
- Baby Bowser
- Bowser Space
- Kammy Koopa
- Perry (Super Princess Peach)
- 1-Up Mushroom
- Ballyhoo & Bigtop
- Banana
- Barrel Train
- Boo
- Bow
- Bowser
- Bowser Coin
- Bowser Jr.
- Chain Chomp
- Coin
- Daisy
- Donkey Kong (Mario Superstar Baseball)
- Dry Bones
- Female Pianta
- Fly Guy
- Goombella
- Hammer Bros
- Item Box
- Koopa
- Kooper
- Lakitu
- Lighting
- Ludwig von Koopa
- Luigi
- Mario
- Mario & Yoshi
- Mega Rush Badge
- Millenium Star
- Misstar
- Mouser
- Noki
- Peach
- Peach & Daisy
- Plum
- Red Fire
- R.O.B
- Shine Sprite
- Sidestepper
- Snifit
- Spiny
- Super Mario Bros
- Toad & Toadette
- Toad
- Turbo Birdo
- Vivian
- Waluigi
- Wario
- Yoshi
