Mario: Difference between revisions

[[Luigi]] is Mario's younger twin brother. Luigi often joins Mario on his adventures, and the two of them are normally paired together in sports titles and spinoffs. They share a strong brotherly bond ever since they were babies, and Mario has always shown protective instincts towards Luigi, as in the [[Yoshi's Island (series)|''Yoshi's Island'' series]], he can sense his brother's location and leads the [[Yoshi (species)|Yoshi]]s to rescue him. Even after they became adults, they still live together and remain very close, stopping at nothing to help each other and save each other when one of them is in trouble, as seen in games such as ''[[Luigi's Mansion]]''. In the ''Mario & Luigi'' series, if Luigi faints in battle, Mario yells in concern and carries him on his shoulders while defending himself or when running away (this also happens with Luigi if Mario is the one who gets KO'd), and the brothers often hug each other when they reunite after being separated in the story. Mario also is shown to be proud of his little brother when he faces his fears for him, such as when he fights [[King Boo]] on three different occasions to rescue him, and when he is saved in ''[[Luigi's Mansion 3]]'', he is very happy that Luigi came to free him, and congratulates him before jumping in his arms and giving him a big hug. It is stated in the 1993 official Nintendo Character Manual that Mario, when he retires, plans to give his plumbing business to Luigi (while also implying a distinct age contrast, which conflicts with the idea that they are twins).<ref name="1993 Nintendo Character Manual">Green, Matthew. (December 30, 2014). [http://www.pressthebuttons.com/2014/12/mario-kirby-and-samus-aran-shine-in-the-nintendo-character-manual.html Mario, Kirby, And Samus Aran Shine In The Nintendo Character Manual]. ''Press The Buttons''. Retrieved February 16, 2016.</ref>  

While they love each other, in ''Paper Mario'', Luigi admits that he also feels jealousy towards his brother at times and has also expressed that he is "tired of being Player 2," for despite being a hero in his own right, he is often overshadowed by Mario. While Mario states that Luigi's quote of being Player 2 is taken out of context, adding that "Luigi loves being [his] sidekick" in the ''[[Mario Sports Mix]]'' press conference, in ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'', he is quick to give Luigi proper credit for defeating the [[Shroob]]s in the previous game. At times, Mario does exhibit a competitive sibling attitude toward Luigi, such as when he intentionally steps and squirms on Luigi's foot when Luigi receives a trophy in ''[[Mario Power Tennis]]'', which makes him uneasy and embarrassed. Despite this and his tendency not to receive the same credit as his brother, Luigi has always admired him and shown a strong loyalty to him that pushes him to face his fears if he needs his help. ''[[Mario & Luigi: Dream Team]]'' also shows his subconscious, known as [[Dream's Deep]], where he has nothing but positive feelings and thoughts about Mario. Several artworks also show them posing together, with a few more and an animated sticker showing them giving each other a high-five.

''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'' also prominently shows the strong bond between the two brothers, with Mario often calling Luigi by an affectionate nickname, "Lu." While he takes on Bowser to protect the [[Mushroom Kingdom]], his self-imposed objective is not to defeat him but to save his brother, and after they reunite, with Mario barely saving Luigi from a deadly fall in the [[lava]], he hugs him tightly while looking about to cry from joy. As his older brother, Mario has always been protective of Luigi, who has a strong admiration for him that stems from a moment in their childhood when he was bullied and Mario protected him by force. When an injured Mario is about to be killed by Bowser's [[Fire Breath]], Luigi returns the favor by blocking the flames with a manhole, giving them enough time to grab the [[Super Star]] and defeat him together. After they get separated, they constantly think about each other, with Mario mentioning during his second night in the Mushroom Kingdom that they had never been apart for such a long time, and their website and other media about the movie also refer to them as each other's best friend.

In the [[LEGO Super Mario|LEGO ''Super Mario'']] line, if Mario is woken up after being left asleep for a while, he calls out to Luigi looking worried. He can connect to Bluetooth with Luigi, allowing them to interact with each other. If one of them is knocked down, gets dizzy from being shaken too much, is incapacitated by excessive damage from lava, or gets poisoned, the other brother reacts in concern. After reaching the [[Goal Pole]], they can high-five each other. [[Princess Peach]] also shares the same interactions with them.

''The Super Mario Bros. Movie'' depicts Mario and Luigi as living with their parents and several other extended family members, including two paternal uncles, an aunt, a grandfather, and a niece, in a small apartment in Brooklyn.<ref name=Polygon>McWhertor, M. (April 8, 2023). "[https://www.polygon.com/23673074/mario-movie-family-members-dad-mom-uncles-aunt The Super Mario Bros. Movie drew on unused Nintendo designs to build out Mario’s family]". ''Polygon''. Accessed April 9, 2023</ref> However, at the end of the movie, the two are seen living by themselves in the Mushroom Kingdom.

One of Mario's earliest friends is [[Yoshi]], who, along with other Yoshis, saved him and Luigi from the [[Koopa Troop]] when they were still babies. In ''Yoshi's New Island'', Mario has also reciprocated by traveling to the past to help [[Baby Mario]] and Yoshi save [[Baby Luigi]]. In the present day, Yoshi continues to help Mario against Bowser, usually serving as his steed. Overall, Mario and Yoshi get along well, and they always support each other through tough times.  

Another of Mario's closest friends is Toad, who occasionally goes on adventures with him, as in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'', ''[[Super Mario 3D World]]'', ''[[Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix]]'', ''[[Mario Tennis Aces]]'', various ''Super Mario'' cartoons, and the ''[[Nintendo Comics System]]''. Toad trusts that Mario always saves the day and, even when not fighting alongside him, is quick to offer advice and encouragement.  

Mario and Princess Peach have been friends since childhood. As adults, Mario often saves Peach, and she usually rewards him with a kiss on the cheek or nose, a [[cake]], or even both. The German ''[[Club Nintendo (magazine)|Club Nintendo]]'' comic "[[Warios Weihnachtsmärchen]]" even reveals that they spent their graduation ball in school together, and in the official guide of ''[[Yoshi's Island DS]]'', the description for the level [[Baby Mario and Baby Peach: Dynamic Duo]] states they have teamed up as babies to stop evil before the "romantic entanglements" of their adult lives. Contrariwise, in a video published on the [[Play Nintendo]] channel on {{wp|YouTube}}, Mario and Peach are described simply as friends.<ref>Play Nintendo (February 11, 2023). [https://youtu.be/KD2GUHxME5c?t=102 DIY Nintendo Cards! 🤭 <nowiki>|</nowiki> Craft with Mario, Peach & Bowser <nowiki>|</nowiki> @PlayNintendo]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved February 16, 2023.</ref> In ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'', while both Mario and Luigi deny a relationship when [[Luvbi]] asks if Peach was Mario's "lady friend," Luvbi also comments that the princess "looms large in his regard" and then wonders if Mario had a "one-sided crush." Many other sources, however, do portray Mario and Peach as having an ongoing romantic relationship as well as a friendship, such as the official European ''Super Mario'' website listing Peach as Mario's girlfriend and ''[[Mario Party 5]]'' calling Peach and Mario's team "Cutest Couple." When Mario gets kissed by Peach, he often blushes heavily and becomes embarrassed and/or infatuated before celebrating. In ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]'', Peach calls Mario her "knight in shining armor," and in the first ''Paper Mario'', one of the [[Toad (species)|Toad]]s tells Mario to take Peach on a date to [[Star Hill|Shooting Star Summit]]. In ''[[Super Princess Peach]]'', after Peach rescues Mario, she enthusiastically calls and runs towards him, and they happily dance together in celebration, with Mario revealing flowers in his hat and another one in between his hair as he holds her in his arms. [[Rosalina]] refers to Peach as Mario's "special one" in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'', with the two seen holding hands toward the ending of the game. ''Mario Power Tennis'' even goes as far as showing Mario himself telling Peach of his love for her in her victory scene, which she responds to by smiling and blowing a kiss to him and Luigi, causing them to become lovestruck. Also, in Mario's victory scene in ''Mario Power Tennis'', Peach gives him a small kiss on his cheek. In ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]'', after kidnapping her, Bowser declares his intention to make Peach marry him, and Mario's main motivation is to stop Bowser from taking Peach's hand in a forced marriage, separating her from him. In ''Luigi's Mansion 3'', after Luigi rescues him, Mario refuses to escape and leads Luigi to rescue Peach, and when he finds her imprisoned in a [[painting]], he is devastated, crying in despair for her. When Luigi catches up to him, Mario pleads his brother to do something and free her if he is talked to.

Peach has not been Mario's only romantic interest, however. In the original ''[[Donkey Kong (game)|Donkey Kong]]'', [[Pauline]] was Mario's first girlfriend and damsel-in-distress, but while he still has to occasionally rescue her in the ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong'' series, the two are considered just friends now. In addition, when Mario saved [[Princess Daisy]] in her debut appearance in ''[[Super Mario Land]]'', a heart appeared overhead, implying a romantic connection. This was never explored further, however, and while ''[[Mario Party 4]]'' gave them the team name "Nice Couple," most games link Daisy with Luigi instead, with her and Mario simply being friends, not even sharing any player [[chemistry]] in the ''[[Mario Baseball (series)|Mario Baseball]]'' series.

Mario's archrival is [[Wario]], with various comics depicting their antagonistic relationship starting in childhood, and it is a major theme in ''[[Super Mario-kun]]''. In Wario's first appearance, in ''[[Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins]]'', he stole [[Mario's castle]], and in ''[[Mario Super Sluggers]]'', he tried to destroy Mario, although for the most part, their rivalry is far more mild in nature, and the two even team up to defeat Bowser in ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]''. Finally, according to Wario in [[Wario's Warehouse]], both Wario and [[Waluigi]] hang out with him, although Mario frequently peeks at Wario's Warehouse. Wario has shown mostly contempt for Mario, but he does not have the same level of dislike as Bowser, whereas Mario, although he has been initially bitter and even called Wario an "evil creep,"<ref>''Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins'' instruction booklet. "''While I was away crusading against the mystery alien Tatanga in Sarasa Land, an evil creep took over my castle and put the people of Mario Land under his control with a magic spell. The intruder goes by the name of Wario. He has been jealous of my popularity ever since we were boys, and has tried to steal my castle many times. It seems he has succeeded this time. Wario has scattered the 6 Golden Coins from my castle all over Mario Land. These Golden Coins are guarded by those under Wario's spell. Without these coins, we can't get into the castle to deal with Wario. We must collect the six coins, attack Wario in the castle, and save everybody!''"</ref> maintains his cheerful and positive attitude as he does with most of his enemies.