As the Super Mario franchise celebrates 40 years, it’s hard to pick a character that isn’t beloved by a portion of the fan base. While others besides the namesake plumber have enjoyed time in the playable spotlight, we think some deserve a proper chance with their own adventures.
That doesn’t mean a playable choice in a platformer or the next sports spin-off. Read on as I go over my ranking of the best Super Mario characters who deserve their own game.
5. Nabbit
This might seem like a strange pick, but bear with me. Nabbit was initially introduced in New Super Mario Bros. U as an enemy, but has since been a playable character in every Mario 2D platformer as well as a smattering of spin-offs. While he’s basically the easy mode character, his repeated inclusions have bolstered his popularity.
A devious little rabbit thief stands out amongst the huge roster of Mario characters. I think a lot of fans would want to know a bit more about Nabbit, even if he ended up being restricted to a game for younger players.
4. Daisy
Even after Princess Peach starred in her own games and became playable across platformers and spin-offs alike (including Smash Bros.), she’s still a traditional princess character. There isn’t anything wrong with that, but she’s undeniably a safe character. Princess Daisy is the opposite in many ways.
Even though most of her appearances are in spin-offs, her spunky tomboy attitude contrasts sharply against Princess Peach. A Nintendo game centered around a sassy princess sounds like a fun time to me. Even more so if it includes Daisy’s homeland Sarasaland, which would be a nice change of pace from the Mushroom Kingdom.
3. Bowser
Does every franchise villain deserve their own game? Certainly not, especially if they’re pretty one-note. Good thing Bowser has had multiple appearances and a litany of nefarious plans to help round him out as a character.
Although he’s been playable in some of the franchise’s RPG spin-offs, the Koopa King hasn’t headlined a title of his own. I’m not saying he needs to star in a game where he finally beats Mario, but it’s not hard to imagine him carrying a game by himself or alongside his Koopa underlings.
2. Waluigi
Of course, no list would be complete without mentioning Waluigi. This villainous character has become iconic through memes and absurd character quirks. Yet, his existence is limited exclusively to spin-off titles. The infamous Waluigi has never appeared in a mainline title.
Forget a small playable role - Nintendo needs to get this guy his own game. He certainly has the popularity and even with a personality defined mostly by haphazard eccentricities, he might be the most weirdly entertaining character in the franchise.
1. Rosalina
In the wacky Mario universe, few things are as powerful as Rosalina. This cosmic princess was the driving force in the Super Mario Galaxy games, and has been playable in a couple of the mainline platformers since. Rosalina has also been playable in pretty much every spin-off since the Wii U generation.
She’s one of the most popular characters from the entire franchise, which has likely been further cemented with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie that just came out. She’s strong, has a great design, and represents the limitless potential of space. A standout character who’s that popular and could really get Nintendo’s creative juices flowing would be the perfect combo for a fantastic game.
Nintendo’s magic could probably result in an interesting game for any character, so let’s hope we see some more love sent their way in the future.
