Top 20 most Memorable Nintendo Characters

By: Chris Bingham

Throughout the 30 years Nintendo has been delivering us outstanding games we have seen so many original characters that have changed us and made us really appreciate these games.

We felt like we were part of the game itself as we got to know these characters. Mind you there are a lot more than 20 good Nintendo characters but in my opinion these are the staples that we couldn’t have lived without. 

These are not in any particular order as it would be too hard to rate these great characters

20.  Wario- A rival to Mario, he first appeared in the 1985 game 'Wrecking Crew' in the character of Spike, a construction foreman. 

Although he bears a slight resemblance to Spike, Wario did not debut until 1992. The first named appearance of the character occurred in the game ‘Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins’. 

Made to be the bad guy, this evil character grew on us, and eventually starred in his own video game ‘Wario Land’ which went on to have three parts.

He has changed over the years from his yellow and purple suit to a cool biker look but don’t let it fool you he’s the same evil treasure hunter we love. His newest title for the Wii U is ‘Game & Wario’.

19. Conker- Many have probably forgotten this badass drunken red squirrel from the Nintendo 64 (N64) game ‘Conkers Bad Fur Day’, which went on to be a rare classic.

But I think he’s a character we couldn’t live without; he took video games from being innocent to kickass, as conkers was Rated M and had a strong advisory on it for the rude and crude things displayed in this game. 

He swears, he drinks, and everything else in this game was something we had never seen before, making it a classic.

18. Simon Belmont- This vampire slayer started his career in 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) as we set out to find and kill Dracula.

The game also went on to have two more parts on the NES and many games after that on Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), N64, DS and 3DS.

As these games were hard and quite creepy they were instant classics and we couldn’t get enough of Simon and the Belmont family.

17. Toad- A well-known character from the ‘Super Mario’ series, he was never really a main character but always there to lend a hand.

In the recent Wii and Wii U games, you can play as toad much like ‘Super Mario 2’ on the NES. 

You can find this guy in pretty much every Mario game out there.

16.  Mr. Game & Watch - Although we only see Mr Game & Watch in the ‘Smash Bros’ series now, he played a big role when Nintendo was just getting started.

Mr. Game & Watch games were handheld devices much like Game Boy’s that had his games on them.

Some games also featured characters like Donkey Kong and Mario.

15. Captain Falcon- First starting his racing career on the SNES, the game ‘F-Zero’ really took off from other racing games as it was something different from ‘Mario Kart’ and others.

It got two other games in the series on N64 and Gamecube and eventually burned out. We’re all still waiting for a fourth.

14. Princess Daisy - Since her first release Daisy has starred in almost 40 Mario titles, and, as we suspect, is in a romantic relationship with Luigi.

She has her own style unlike Princess Peach Daisy is very much a tomboy.

13. Samus Aran- We first met Samus in the famous ‘Metroid’ series first released on the NES.

We soon discovered, wow, Samus is a girl underneath all that armor.

Whether she’s in her full armor or Zero Suit, Samus still found a way into our hearts.

12. Kirby- This cuddly ball first started as a white ghost-looking creature and then they decided to make him pink so he was more kid-friendly.

No matter his color this cute character can still kick some ass and has the ability to inhale his foes and take their power.

We have seen Kirby games throughout all the systems and he just had his 20^th anniversary.

11. Kid Icarus- This angelic-looking guy started out on the NES as one of the original titles and has made a great impression in the ‘Smash Bros’ series.

Not to mention, his new 3DS title.

He uses arrows to pierce the hearts of his foes and can perform some sweet aerial moves.

10. Yoshi - Yoshi has always been at the side of Mario and has even had a few games of his own.

Always loyal, he follows and assists Mario, even when he gets in the way and you have to sacrifice him to save your own life (‘Super Mario World’).

He’s still a fun character to have around and a staple for the Nintendo brand.

9. Olimar - We first met Captain Olimar when his ship crashed and became stranded on a strange planet filled with creatures.

Some of which were called Pikmin.

Even though he didn’t make his debut until the Gamecube he has still become a fan favourite and the Pikmin games are fun and addictive.

The third installment was just released as well on Wii U.

8. Ness- This young kid who sports a baseball cap and a bat became a sensation over the years from the cult classic game ‘Earthbound’.

This SNES title has become highly collectible for its weird and fun style unlike the others put out and is one of the most expensive games to buy.

Thank God they brought it out on the virtual console for $10.

7. Fox McCloud – “Do a barrel roll”, is one of the best lines from this SNES classic Star Fox, Fox leads his team through the galaxy.

The game also received N64, Gamecube and 3DS releases (lets pray for a new one).

6. The Donkey Kong Family- It’s hard to pick just one of these guys, because, in a way, they’re all great.

Probably one of my all time favourite games was ‘Donkey Kong Country’ from the SNES but they went on to have many games.

Whether you like Donkey, Diddy, Dixie, Kiddy, Lanky, Candy, Cranky, Funky (and the list goes on), they’re all great in their own way.

5. Bowser-  Even though he’s one of the original bad guys and will probably be on that top list to he’s still one of the coolest Nintendo characters ever made.

Originally named King Koopa, he became Bowser and has since been causing mayhem from his early Nintendo days onward, and always set on capturing the princess.

4. Princess Peach- The ruler of the Mushroom kingdom, Peach is always being kidnapped by Bowser and saved by her romantic partner Mario.

Unlike Daisy, Peach always sports the Pink dress as she’s a girly-girl and you can see her in many titles throughout the Nintendo library.

3. Link- This young man has been adventuring more than anyone else in the Nintendo Universe, always setting out to save Hyrule and free Princess Zelda. 

Even though in most games it’s a different Link character, he always sports the name and the same outfit. 

Always having an arsenal of tools, and of course his trademark master sword and shield, he leaps into danger through lands and caves filled with monsters.

2. Luigi- This is a green-suited plumber and brother of Mario.

Luigi may be the under-dog but, as of late, he has shined past his big brother’s shadow.

Just celebrating his 30^th anniversary, he plans on having 30 more and hopefully we see him in a lot more titles to come.

1. Mario- The big brother himself, the red-suited plumber that started the Nintendo family and spawned a generation.

At one point in time we’ve all played as Mario and how could you not?

With Mario starring in over 100+ titles, he rules the board.

Always setting out to save the princess, and whoever else needs saving, he’s just a nice guy,

Mario can be seen on just about everything from movies, t-shirts, hats, bags you name it.

Also celebrating his anniversary we hope we continue to see great things from this plumber in the years to come.

And that’s my top 20 memorable Nintendo Characters, now I know there’s a lot more to be mentioned but in my opinion these are the ones that shine the brightest.