This article is about Mario's appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. For the character in other contexts, see Mario.
Mario
in Super Smash Bros. 4
Mario
MarioSymbol.svg
Universe Mario
Other playable appearances in SSB
in Melee
in Brawl
Availability Starter
Final Smash Mario Finale
Mario (SSB4)

Mario (マリオ, Mario) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was confirmed on June 11th, 2013 during the E3 2013 Nintendo Direct.[1] He was also one of the main subjects of the Developer's Direct for Smash Bros. later during E3 2013.[2] He was among the first wave of amiibo figurines for SSB4. Mario is once again voiced by Charles Martinet, who also reprises his long-time role as Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi, albeit mostly with the same voice clips from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. [3]

Attributes

Similar to his own series, Mario is a balanced character in SSB4, possessing no real overwhelming strengths or weaknesses. As such, players are often encouraged to start off as Mario to get a feel of the games' mechanics; however, unlike in Brawl (and Melee to a lesser extent), players who continue to practice with Mario can also discover his excellent competitive worth, as his comboing, throwing and edgeguarding games are all above par when fully developed. Mario's strength, weight, and mobility are average in comparison to a majority of the cast, and aside from wall-jumping, he has no real outstanding traits like many other characters. However, this does not mean Mario is helpless; while he may not boast superior strength found in heavyweights like Bowser, or speed in characters such as Sonic, he is well-equipped to combat all characters and tackle any situation, making him a very reliable and well-rounded character.

Mario has decent approach and spacing options; his dashing speed is average and he boasts the eighth fastest air speed in the game, allowing him to cover ground and get close to opponent(s) without much trouble. If he requires space from his opponents, however, Mario can find reliance within his Fireball, Cape, and F.L.U.D.D. specials: his Fireball projectiles have good range, decent speed, and can disrupt opponents at a distance; Cape is quick and can spin his foes around and reflect projectiles, which can ensure safety if his opponents get too close or are taking a long-ranged camping approach; and F.L.U.D.D. can push fighters away and can cut through projectiles.

Mario possesses quick, low lag attacks that always provide some utility in various situations. With his mobility and attacks, Mario possesses some of the best combo and juggling abilities in the game, which are perhaps his greatest strengths. While his damage output is merely average, his approach, combos, and juggles can ensure he can rack up damage on nearly the same level as the fastest characters in the game. His overall knockback is also decent and a number of his attacks, primarily his smashes and aerials, can KO well into the early-to-mid 100s. However, more often than not will players find they need to create set-ups before Mario can get in any kills, which can be quite a challenge as most characters can trump Mario in a specific field (which is where Mario can mainly find trouble). However, this can be remedied by the rage mechanic; Mario is unique from most other non-heavyweights in that he can benefit from the knockback increase induced by rage without nearly any of his combos getting affected thanks to his approach options, allowing for more reliable kills.

Mario also boasts one of the most reliable throwing games; while his grab range is sub-par (despite being better than in previous installments), his throws are versatile, as his back and forward throw can set up gimp KOs when used from the edge of a stage (and his back throw itself can KO at high percentages from an edge), and his down and up throw can set up combos, especially with his down throw if it is followed up by his up tilt or up aerial. Plus, his up throw is a viable kill throw on stages with platforms, especially with rage.

Despite being a conventional character, Mario has a few gimmicks, all of which help him surprisingly excel at edgeguarding. His forward aerial is an extremely reliable meteor smash when sweetspotted, albeit its high startup and ending lag makes it a rather risky move to use offstage. His back aerial can be used for walls of pain and knock fighters farther away from the stage for edgeguarding. Mario's Fireballs can also gimp recoveries thanks to their low knockback. F.L.U.D.D. is another powerful edgeguarding tool that pushes enemies back without causing hitstun, allowing it to cleanly gimp characters who are helpless after using their up special; using it at the wrong time may actually boost some recoveries, however. Most notably, Mario's Cape is one of the best edgeguarding weapon tools in the game. When used, it can effectively and quickly gimp almost every recovery in the game, particularly if used after F.L.U.D.D.; it is especially useful against linear recoveries and or helpless fighters trying to get to the ledge. His Cape also stalls his movement in the air, so it can also be used to save himself from being edgeguarded.

Despite all these advantages, however, Mario is not without his faults: as mentioned above, he can be outclassed by characters who excel in a specific field, such as Sonic in speed, Ryu in comboing, Bowser in knockback, etc., which can hinder his approaching options. His approach can also be hindered by characters with long-range or disjointed hitboxes, such as Shulk, mostly thanks to his own mediocre attack range. His recovery is also sub-par, as his Super Jump Punch is predictable and its distance is only slightly above average, making it easy to gimp Mario's recovery. While he can add mix-ups to his recovery with his wall-jump, it can be difficult to execute due to most stages not having flat walls to perform it with, making it risky.

Mario's custom moves are highly polarized in comparison to his balanced default moves, and thus effectively define the basics of alternate movesets. This allows a Mario player to either cover a hole in his abilities while possibly opening another, or put everything into excelling in a certain area. His Fireball alternatives are a common custom archetype of speed vs. power: Fast Fireball is much quicker, but weaker and doesn't follow gravity, while Fire Orb is much bigger and stronger, hitting multiple times, but is incredibly sluggish to throw and has almost no range. Similarly, Gust Cape deals less damage in exchange for producing a blast of wind that can push opponents some distance, while Shocking Cape is much more powerful when hitting with the cape itself, but only destroys projectiles instead of reflecting, and gives no aerial boost. His Super Jump Punch customs are also a common up-special archetype of recovery vs. power: Super Jump goes higher, but cannot hit enemies, while Explosive Punch hits incredibly hard, but gives less height. His F.L.U.D.D alternatives both give a power increase, but in different ways: Scalding F.L.U.D.D. charges faster and damages enemies instead of pushing, but this takes away its edgeguarding potential over helpless enemies as a result, as well as having worse range, whereas High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D. pushes much harder and has improved range, but takes longer to charge, and the recoil pushes Mario backwards.

All-in-all, Mario is the jack-of-all-trades who can go up against anyone with near-guaranteed reliability, but is not truly a master in any specific fields, though he has a noticeable advantage against fighters with linear recoveries and has one of the best combo capabilities in the game. Nonetheless, Mario is a choice that most can pick up and easily master.

Changes from Brawl

Mario has been significantly buffed from Brawl to SSB4. He is considerably nimbler and stronger than in past games, and is much more capable of comboing and KOing. His reach is somewhat greater as well. Also, as many characters with disjointed hitboxes who were a large threat to Mario in Brawl, such as Marth, were nerfed or reworked, Mario has an easier time handling them than in previous games, thanks to his better reach. Furthermore, the change to the ledge mechanics makes his linear recovery harder to edgeguard. Lastly, in tournaments and other situations where custom specials are available, his edge-guarding game is improved further with tools such as Fast Fireball, Gust Cape, and High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D., all of which are potent at gimping.

One of the only notable nerfs Mario seems to suffer from is an overall decrease in damage output, now being just average, though due to the significant buffs to both his KOing and combo ability, this nerf is pretty negligible. Overall, Mario has received major buffs to his maneuverability and combo game, and he is considered to be one of the most potent choices for competitive play, easy and effective to use for beginners and advanced players alike. Mario has very good tournament representation, which, similar to Captain Falcon, is due to a combination of his low learning curve, his viability, and his overall popularity as a character.

Aesthetics

  •   Instead of the more realistic look he had in Brawl, Mario has a more cartoonish and sleeker look that more closely resembles his appearances in the Mario games. His clothes are more brightly colored, and the seams in his overalls are much less accentuated. His proportions are more inline with recent 3D Mario games such as Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World.
  •   The sound Mario's up taunt makes is similar to the sound heard when obtaining a power-up in the recent Mario games.
  •   Mario's chest faces the foreground regardless of whether he's facing left or right.

Attributes

  •   Mario has significantly increased air speed (0.94 → 1.15), going from tied for 19th fastest in Brawl to tied for 8th fastest in SSB4.
  •   Mario dashes faster (1.5 → 1.6).
  •   As with the majority of the cast in its transition from Brawl, Mario's falling speed has been increased (1.28 → 1.5) making him less vulnerable to juggling and vertical KOs, but slightly more susceptible to combos.
  •   Mario's traction has been significantly decreased (0.6 → 0.45), going from eleventh best in Brawl to tied for the tenth worst in SSB4. This makes it harder for him to punish out of shield.

Ground attacks

  •   Neutral attack, forward tilt, up tilt, and dash attack deal less damage (9%, 8%, 7%, and 9/7% → 8% (neutral attack), 7% (forward tilt), 5.5% (up tilt), and 8/6% (dash attack).
  •   Down tilt has less ending lag (frame 35 → 28) , allowing it to be a close range spacer and combo move.
  •   Up tilt has had its knockback severely reduced, drastically increasing its comboing and juggling ability to the point that it is able to deal around 20% damage on most characters if used repeatedly.
  •   Due to its reduced knockback, up tilt is no longer a reliable KO move.
  •   Forward smash has a larger blast radius, giving it a larger hitbox. It also has slightly more knockback growth (100/90 → 103/99).
  •   Up smash has slightly more knockback growth (90 → 94).
  •   Down smash's back hit has more knockback (35 base/75 growth → 30 base/100 growth), making it a viable KOing option at high percents.
  •   Down smash's front hit deals much less damage (15% → 10%) and can no longer KO under 150% unless used near the edge.

Aerial attacks

  •   Neutral, down, up and back aerials all deal less damage (10% → 8% (neutral), 12% → 10% (down), 11% → 7% (up), 12% → 10.5% (back)). Their knockback however is compensated except for neutral aerial.
  •   Back and up aerials have 2 more frames of landing lag (10 → 12 frames).
  •   Forward aerial is faster and deals more damage (13% → 14%). It also has increased base knockback (20 base → 32 base).
  •   Back aerial is much easier to use for a wall of pain due to Mario's much faster air speed and high jump.
  •   Back aerial's clean and late hitbox durations are shorter (3 frames → 2 (clean), 5 frames → 3 (late)).
  •   Up aerial angle changed from 45 degrees to 75 degrees which makes it a much better combo move. It also has increased knockback (9 base/100 growth → 10 base/135 growth). Combined with its better launch angle, it can now KO lighter/floaty characters at the upper blast line more reliably.
  •   The hits of down aerial link to one another drastically better. The final hit also deals significantly more knockback growth (80 → 100).

Throws/other attacks

  •   Mario now grabs with one hand as opposed to two. He still uses both hands during his pummel, however.
  •   Mario's grab range is slightly better.
  •   All throws deal 1% less damage.
  •   Back throw deals slightly more knockback growth (63 → 66), but its slight damage reduction results slightly less knockback overall despite the growth increase, now requiring an excess of 130% damage to KO at all without rage.
  •   Down throw has drastically less base knockback (75 → 40), allowing it to combo into other moves more reliably at lower percentages, most notably up tilt.
  •   Down throw's angle is more horizontal (80° → 68°) and gained much more knockback growth (40 → 90), which makes follow-ups less reliable at higher percents.

Special moves

  •   Fireball covers more range. They also deal slightly increased knockback at max distance (11 base/15 growth → 22 base/10 growth).
  •   Fireballs have more start-up lag (frame 13 → 16), have much more ending lag (frame 44 → 53), and deals 1% less damage the farther it goes.
  •   When a Fireball hits a foe, the sound effect when an enemy is defeated in Super Mario Bros. plays.
  •   Fireballs look more realistic, with smoke and ashes coming out of the flames. The same thing applies with the Mario Finale.
  •   Mario can dash over an edge and grab it right after flinging Cape if timed correctly.
  •   Cape deals slightly less damage and gives less lift in the air. Additionally, Cape Gliding is no longer possible, weakening Mario's approach with Cape.
  •   Hitting with the Cape now makes a sound effect akin to Mario spinning his cape in Super Mario World, but at a faster and higher-pitched sound.
  •   Super Jump Punch gains more recovery distance.
  •   Super Jump Punch's last hit has a more horizontal launch angle (? → 60), making it slightly weaker and more situational as a KO move.
  •   Super Jump Punch makes a slightly higher-pitched "ding" on the last hit.
  •   The coins from the Super Jump Punch are now rendered in 3D and designed closer to the Star Coins from the New Super Mario Bros. games.
  •   F.L.U.D.D.'s range and pushforce has been increased.
  •   After using or fully charging F.L.U.D.D., it does not stay on his back.
  •   Mario Finale deals more damage. As with most Final Smashes, its start-up also dramatically slows opponents down, making it much easier to land the attack, especially at close range.

Update history

Unlike other characters, Mario has only received minor changes. However, 1.1.1 makes it slightly harder for him due to the many changes on shield, as the increased shieldstun makes it harder for him to punish out of shield. Nonetheless, Mario is still a viable character.

  1.0.4

  •   Up tilt deals less damage (6.3% → 5.5%), but the slight knockback decrease the damage reduction brings makes it slightly easier to follow-up at high percentage.

  1.0.6

  •   Part of forward smash made irreversible.
  •   Part of Mario's forward smash's hitbox moved slightly higher.

Moveset

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   2.5% Two jabs twice followed by a forward kick. Originates from Super Mario 64.
1.5%
4%
Forward tilt   7% Mario performs a reverse roundhouse kick.
Up tilt   5.5% Mario performs a spinning uppercut from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Infamous for comboing into itself until around 50% and being very hard to escape.
Down tilt   5% (foot), 7% (body) Mario performs a legsweep. Easily combos into itself and his other tilts.
Dash attack   8% (clean), 6% (late) Mario slides forward and kicks with both feet similarly to the move he used in Super Mario 64. Can combo into Super Jump Punch at low percents.
Forward smash   17.85% (fire), 14.7% (arm) Mario performs a palm thrust that produces a small blast of fire. It is larger than in previous installments. KOs at 99% sweetspotted and 118% sourspotted when angled up, at 105% sweetspotted and 124% sourspotted when unangled, and at 101% sweetspotted and 120% sourspotted when angled down.
17% (fire), 14% (arm)
17.51% (fire), 14.42% (arm)
Up smash   14% Mario performs an upward headbutt. KOs at 123% from the middle of Final Destination.
Down smash   10% (front), 12% (back) Mario performs a break-dance sweep that originated from Super Mario 64. Front hit KOs at 162% and up from the middle of Final Destination. Back hit KOs at 133% and up from the middle of Final Destination.
Neutral aerial   8% (clean), 5% (late) Mario does a flying kick similar to the one he used in Super Mario 64. A standard sex kick.
Forward aerial   12% (early), 14% (clean), 10% (late) Mario swings his fist forward and initiates a meteor smash upon impact. Sourspot can also KO horizontally near the edge at 140%.
Back aerial   10.5% (clean), 7% (late) Mario performs a dropkick. It appears to be based on his original forward aerial from Super Smash Bros.. Very fast, with little end lag, making it great for creating a wall of pain. KOs at 127% near the edge.
Up aerial   7% Mario performs a back flip kick. Great for juggling and comboing and can KO near the upper blast line above 140%.
Down aerial Mario Tornado 1% (hits 1-5), 5% (hit 6), 2% (landing) Mario spins with both both fists outward. It was one of Mario's special moves up until Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It is likely based on the Spin Jump that originated in Super Mario World. Good combo and anti-juggling move and can KO near the upper blast line above 140%.
Grab   Mario's grab range is relatively short.
Pummel   3.25% Headbutts the opponent. A moderately slow pummel.
Forward throw   8% Mario spins his opponent around once and tosses the opponent forward.
Back throw   11% (throw), 8% (collateral) A powerful throw that has Mario spinning the opponent three times and throwing them in the opposite direction grabbed. Originates from Super Mario 64. Can KO reliably below 150% near the edge.
Up throw   7% Mario throws his opponent high into the air with both hands. Good throw for fast-fallers. Can KO lightweights at extremely high percentages.
Down throw   5% Mario slams his opponent into the ground. This throw can be followed up with several options, including Super Jump Punch, his up smash, and most notably up tilt.
Forward roll
Back roll
Spot dodge
Air dodge
Techs
Floor attack (front)
Floor getups (front)
  7% Gets up then kicks behind him, then in front of him.
Floor attack (back)
Floor getups (back)
  7% Gets up then punches behind him, then in front of him.
Floor attack (trip)
Floor getups (trip)
  5% Kicks behind him, then in front of him while getting up.
Edge attack
Edge getups
  7% Does a somersault and then kicks upwards from a laying down position.
Neutral special Default Fireball 5% (early), 4% (late) Mario launches a fireball from his hand as a projectile.
Custom 1 Fast Fireball 3% (early), 2.3% (mid), 1.5% (late) Mario quickly fires a weaker ball of flame directly forward, akin to a shot from the Ray Gun. It does not bounce on the ground.
Custom 2 Fire Orb 1.5% per hit A slow but large orb of fire is launched from Mario's hand in an arc. It will damage any opponent it hits in its predetermined path until it fades away, because unlike the other two variants of Fireball it does not disappear upon impact. It has much slower startup and ending lag.
Side special Default Cape 7% Mario swings a cape from Super Mario World that reflects projectiles and enemies. It can also be used as a brief but continuously available recovery.
Custom 1 Shocking Cape 11.2% An offensive variant of Cape that discharges electricity. It cannot be used to reflect projectiles, although it can destroy them on contact. This variation does not stall Mario in the air. Does not turn opponents around but launches.
Custom 2 Gust Cape 5% Mario shoots a small gust of wind from his cape, pushing his opponent back in addition to turning them around. The cape deals slightly less damage.
Up special Default Super Jump Punch 5% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-5), 3% (hit 6) Mario performs a rising uppercut that releases aesthetic coins from those it hits.
Custom 1 Super Jump 0% Grants more distance than the standard Super Jump Punch, but at the cost of not having a hitbox.
Custom 2 Explosive Punch 8% (hit 1), 13% (hit 2) Much stronger than the Super Jump Punch and causes explosive fire damage instead of releasing coins, but at the cost of having far less recovery distance.
Down special Default F.L.U.D.D. 0% Mario pulls out F.L.U.D.D. from Super Mario Sunshine, which will blast jets of water to push back opponents, but not damage them. Mario can change the angle of the stream.
Custom 1 Scalding F.L.U.D.D. 1.2% per hit The jets of water fired are now extremely hot and deal rapid fire damage that keep the enemy in place rather than pushing them back. It charges 40% faster at the cost of decreased range.
Custom 2 High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D. 0% The water will push back foes further than the normal F.L.U.D.D. and does so with more force, but it takes 60% longer to charge.
Final Smash Mario Finale 3% (bigger fireball), 2% (smaller fireball) Mario's Final Smash from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He shoots a massive, continuous spinning stream of flames horizontally across the stage. The vortex deals repeated damage and pulls the victims towards the blast line it is heading for.

On-screen appearance

  • A green Warp Pipe appears. Mario leaps out in an iconic pose and shouts "Let's-a go!". It is based on how he warps to Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64.
File:Battle Entrance (Mario).jpg

Taunts

  • Up taunt: Transforms into Super Mario, as if he obtained a Super Mushroom. He immediately shrinks back to normal size afterwards. It is based on Super Mario Bros. This taunt also increases Mario's hurtbox.
  • Side taunt: Twirls around and takes off his hat, and says "Hoo-hoo!" He then puts his hat back on. It is based on his "level clear" animation from New Super Mario Bros.
  • Down taunt: Spins in the air and falls to the ground with his legs in the air. This is a reference to his dying animation from Donkey Kong.
Up taunt Side taunt Down taunt
     

Idle poses

  • Moves his head from left to right and holds his fist in front of his face.
  • Adjusts his hat.
   

Crowd cheer

English Japanese
Cheer
Description Ma-Ri-O! Ma-Ri-O!
Pitch Group chant Group chant

Victory poses

A flourished remix directly from Brawl based on the sound clip that would play when Mario reaches the end of a level in Super Mario Bros.
  • Winds up for a punch and steps forward while punching in front of the screen.
  • Makes fire explode from his palm and strikes a pose.
  • Does a short spin-jump and lands in a strong-man pose. It originates from his "character chosen" animation in Super Smash Bros.
     

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character Custom sets available
  Mario 2312 2332 2212 2232 1312
1313 1332 1212 1213 2213

Notable players

Trophies

Mario
  As iconic as iconic gets, this gaming celebrity is known for saving the world from Bowser. He's got amazing jumping skills and makes use of a wide range of transformations. In his free time, he plays too many sports to count. In Smash Bros., he's a well-rounded fighter you can rely on. Say it with me: "It's-a me, Mario!"
  It's-a him! Maaario! Whether he's wearing one of his special outfits or just his normal blue dungarees, this running, jumping, Bowser-bashing, princess-saving hero is an all-round superstar. And in this game, he's got enough tricks up his sleeve to deal with anything. If you don't know which fighter to pick, Mario's a solid choice.
 : Donkey Kong Classics 09/1988
 : Super Mario Bros. 10/1985
Mario (Alt.)
    Super Jump Punch is an up-special move that lets you leap high into the air, carrying any fighters you strike along with you. You'll be invincible for a moment after you launch this attack. The default side-special move, Cape, will flip a fighter around. Keep a foe from returning with this move!
  Mario's Super Jump Punch takes you high into the air, and if you catch an opponent with it, they'll go up with you. Try to hit them at the very start of the move to do the most damage. His default side special, Cape, can flip fighters around. If you're really crafty, you can even use it to keep someone from getting back on the stage!
 : Donkey Kong Classics 09/1988
 : Super Mario Bros. 10/1985
Mario Finale
  Break the Smash Ball and unleash Mario's Final Smash. Mario will fire a devastating blast of fire in the direction he's facing. The attack covers a wide range and travels far, so it's best to fire this from one side of the stage to the other. The damage is impressive, and it can actually carry foes right off the screen!
  When Mario gets his hands on a Smash Ball, he can activate this Final Smash. Flames spiral outwards in two intertwining stream, catching opponents in the wide blast with ease. It deals plenty of damage, and can also push foes off the screen entirely. Fire it from an elevated position to take full advantage of its vertical range!

In Event Matches

Solo Events

Co-op Events

Alternate costumes

 
               

Gallery


Trivia

  • A glitch from 1.0.7 shows when Mario performs his side taunt on Ω Gerudo Valley, his hair is missing when taking off his cap, revealing the inside of his head.
  • The original project proposal for Smash 4 stated that the fighters would have four custom special moves instead of the three that are in the final game. Mario was used as an example. The unused special move in the proposal would've had Mario release two fireballs for his neutral special instead of one.[4]
  • Dr. Mario was originally going to be an alternate costume for Mario, but was instead developed as a separate character in favor of retaining Dr. Mario's unique traits from Melee.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many

References