Let's face it. No one can resist ripping off Mario. So here's 10 characters that did exactly that.
Top 10 Ripoffs of Mario
VGA Chronicles Guy
#10. Luigi
Luigi is a total biological ripoff of Mario. Not only did he ripoff Mario's DNA by being his brother, but he also sports the same style of outfit, the same facial hair, and even the same profession as his vertically challenged twin. To rub salt in the wound of Mario, Luigi is constantly trying to one-up his heroic brother by: leading a series of side games, jumping higher than Mario, and even dating one of the princesses that Mario previously saved. No matter what Mario does, Luigi is always there. Following him, and taking half the credit for every quest he ventures on.
#9. Wario
Wario is a complete ripoff of Mario, only with an evil twist. Around Wario's inception, the developers at Nintendo were incredibly lazy and unimaginative. Instead of creating a new and interesting character for an original game concept, they decided to play word games with Mario's name. That's right, all they did was turn the M upside down. And there you have it, a new character: Wario.
Wario is much fatter than Mario, making him stronger and more intimidating. He also dawns a yellow outfit, which makes his character easier to see in-game. Wario is also known for collecting coins (just like Mario is) and brazenly stole the Super Mario Land series from Mario. But why? Why did this happen? What possessed Nintendo executives to make an "evil" Mario? And why were they so lazy? Unfortunately, the world may never truly know the answers to these questions.
#8. Waluigi
The character known as Waluigi is considered a quadruple rip off, since he is a ripoff of both Wario and Luigi, who both themselves are ripoffs of Mario. It seems that Waluigi merely exists to be a counterpart to both Luigi and Wario. He is Wario's partner in crime (just like Luigi is to Mario), but also serves as a reimagined "evil" Luigi (as if Luigi weren't evil enough on his own). And, just like with Wario, Nintendo lazily used childish word games to name this character. Instead of giving Waluigi an original and interesting name, they just took the name "Luigi" and turned the L upside down, creating the name "Waluigi."
Waluigi appears in many Mario side games, making various attempts to steal Mario's impressive thunder. Legend has it that Nintendo originally favored Waluigi over Mario and made past attempts to rebrand the Mario franchise under Waluigi.
#7. Yoshi
Since the release of games such as Super Mario World and Yoshi's Cookie, Mario has been robbed of his kawaiiness. It's hard to remember the times before Yoshi's existence, since he has infected nearly every subsequent Mario game with his presence like a powerful disease. Nintendo even had the nerve to give Yoshi various games of his own. Without a doubt, Yoshi's biggest slap in the face to Mario is Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. In this game, not only is Yoshi the protagonist, but he's also Mario's caretaker. This is degrading to Mario, as not only is he being ripped off, but he's also being ripped on! It's like... he thinks he owns the series now, you know?
#6. Toad
Since day one of the Mario series, Toad has been ripping off Mario. How? I'll tell you. Remember playing Super Mario Bros. for the first time and getting to the end of a castle? And after you beat the fake Bowser, there's a Toad at the end of the level? And he always says "you're in the wrong castle." Most fans don't know this, but Toad was never kidnapped. He just outran Mario to the castle, but lets Mario do all the dirty work to save the Mushroom Kingdom. After all, what would Bowser want with an ugly, pathetic Toad?
Toad is the typical loser in the Mario universe. He's short, fearful, and generally sucks at life. But these factors have never kept him from trying to dethrone Mario. He appears in nearly every Mario game in existence and even has served as a protagonist, albeit an unpopular one.
#5. Princess Peach
With the exception of being female, Princess Peach is also a ripoff of Mario. It all began with Super Mario Bros. 2. Since Donkey Kong, Peach's actress felt she had been typecasted as the damsel in distress, and wanted to try a more active role in the franchise. However, after having a taste of being a protagonist in Super Mario Bros. 2, she has since been constantly battling Nintendo for lead roles and demanding more money for her minor appearances. She appears in almost every Mario game there is, and also has a game of her own called Super Princess Peach, in which she goes on a platforming adventure, just like Mario! Her dress is also the color pink, which is a shade of red, the same color of Mario's traditional outfit.
#4. Megaman
Without the success of Mario, Megaman simply wouldn't exist. As a result, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Megaman is on this list.
Megaman is a ripoff of both Mario and Fire Mario, making him a double ripoff, but a bold one. Just like Mario, Megaman goes on platforming adventures for a heroic cause. And, just like Fire Mario, Megaman can shoot energy projectiles from his arm. Of course, if the two ever met face to face, Fire Mario would win in a heartbeat. Without his cast iron suit, Megaman is powerless. Meanwhile, all Mario has to do is eat a flower and he has just as much power, if not more, than Megaman's full strength. You can ripoff Mario all you want, Megaman. But you'll never defeat him.
#3. Link
As a major Nintendo character, Link is also a major ripoff of Mario. But the ripping off doesn't stop there. His green outfit makes him a ripoff of Luigi and Yoshi as well, making Link a triple ripoff of Mario. To understand why Link ripping off Mario is unsurprising, one must know the tale of the olden days, when Link and Mario were student and sensei.
Back in the 1980s, Mario had been training various heroes on Mario Island, including Link. Mario had been teaching the young apprentice everything he knew about magic, heroic deeds, and being a lead character in a video game. Over the course of the training, they developed quite a bond and became close friends.
Finally, one night, Mario summoned Link to his shrine for a final task. Link arrived, and Mario bestowed upon him a powerful sword, asking Link to use the sword to assassinate Luigi. Only through spilling the blood of Luigi could Link become Mario's new sidekick. Initially, Link seemed enthusiastic of the task, telling Mario that he would not let him down, and left the shrine with sword in hand.
The very next day, however, Link had abandoned Mario Island. He never killed Luigi either, and instead had begun working with privately with Shigeru Miyamoto to develop The Legend of Zelda for the Famicom. Mario soon learned of this, and felt both betrayed and devastated. From that point on, Link proceeded to ripoff Mario on a daily basis, and also nearly took over Nintendo five times.
#2. Donkey Kong
After the inevitable fall in popularity of classic arcade games, Donkey Kong took the low road and ripped off Mario.
- Having original involvement with Mario? Ripoff.
- Being in a platformer just like Mario? Ripoff.
- Having a sidekick like Mario has Luigi? Ripoff.
- The sidekick being a ripoff of Donkey Kong himself? Ripoff.
- Saving bananas just as Mario saves the princess? Ripoff.
Donkey Kong is a rare quintuple ripoff of Mario. In contradiction with his past rivalry with Mario, he's attempted to recreate and rebrand everything that Mario has ever done, down to the very last drop.
and finally...
#1. Super Mario
The biggest ripoff of Mario of all time. Super Mario is just Mario, but bigger. He does everything that small Mario does, participates in all the games, and even inhabits Mario's body. It's like Nintendo didn't think that small Mario was good enough. It's like Nintendo just took Mario and ripped him off, more than anyone else has ever ripped off anything ever before in the history of ripping things off. It's unbelievable. It's pathetic. The biggest ripoff was right under Mario's nose this whole time, and he didn't even knows it. After all, who can rip off Mario better than Mario himself? 🍄
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Mario got ripped off. :'(
Post Ripping-Off Survey:
1) Who was your favorite rip off?
Bee) How many more ripoffs of Mario do you foresee in the foreseeable future?
C) Divide 8 by 93. Carry the acorn. Add 63 to your answer and hand Mario a kleenex.
50) Is it called Meincraft or Mindcraft?
4) You know a part 2 is coming. You can feel it in your bones.
Thanks for watching VGA Chronicles.
