Best Characters in the Super Mario Franchise Who Aren't…

Summary

Petey Piranha stands as a much-loved returning villain, offering players a unique character to control in various Mario titles.
King Boo, the leader of mischievous ghosts, remains a mysterious and iconic character in the Mario franchise loved by fans.
Birdo, an openly trans icon in the franchise, has been a controversial but beloved character since her debut in 1988.

Nintendo's Mario franchise has introduced players to a variety of characters over the years. From reoccurring bosses across titles to an assortment of characters players can choose to control in the Mario franchise party games, players have been given plenty of time to garner their favorites and represent who they are most loyal to.

Every Mario Game On The GameCube, Ranked

Being a Nintendo console, of course, the GameCube featured a bevy of Mario games, and here are all of them ranked.

Posts 1

While the human characters are quite popular, such as Mario, Luigi, or Princess Peach, the non-human characters are also just as popular in the fandom that surrounds the Mario franchise. Therefore, these are by far the best non-human characters, from both the playable characters of Mario to the various villains, ranked.

8 Petey Piranha

A Much-Loved Returning Villain

Petey Piranha attacking Kirby in New Donk City

First Appearance: Super Mario Sunshine (2002)

Starting off the best non-human characters of Mario with a villain, Petey Piranha made his debut as a reoccurring boss in Mario when he first arrived as an enemy in Super Mario Sunshine in 2002. Since then, this mutant Piranha Plant has returned as not only a boss for players to defeat in various Mario titles, but also being an option for the player to control in various Mario Sport and other spin-off titles.

His large and powerful stature puts him on par with the likes of Bowser or Doneky Kong, though many players are fond of his stubby little legs that make him much slower than the other characters in Mario.

7 King Boo

One Of The Greatest Ghosts

Luigi's Mansion 3 Luigi fleeing King Boo

First Appearance: Luigi's Mansion (2001)

Some of the best non-human characters in Mario aren't just those that are animals, but also those that are ghosts. King Boo is the leader of the mischievous ghosts that tend to torment Luigi most of all in the Mario franchise.

Besides being the biggest of the Boos and wearing a crown to show his king status, King Boo is another villain from Mario that has become a playable character in various other spin-off titles. Not much else is known about King Boo, as he has always been seen as quite a mystery, but this has only made players love him more.

6 Birdo

The Pink Dinosaur Icon

First Super Mario Appearance: Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988)

Birdo is an iconic character in the Mario franchise as she has been the center of plenty of controversies over her time as a pink dinosaur-like creature in the franchise. Ever since her first appearance in Super Mario Bros 2, Birdo's gender has been quite controversial, as the instruction manual of the game mentioned that Birdo thinks that they're a woman.

Gobblegut, Fury Bowser and Galaxy 2 Giant Bowser fighting Mario

Largest Bosses In Mario Games, Ranked

Despite the size and power of these boss fights, Mario will humble them with nothing more than a red hat, blue overalls, and a stomp.

Posts

By Jack Boreham

This has led many to accept Birdo as an openly trans woman that many fans have fallen in love with. Even if recent games of the franchise simply refer to Birdo being a woman, she still continues to be a trans icon for many.

5 Donkey Kong

A Title As Old As Mario With His Very Own Franchise

First Appearance: Donkey Kong Country (1984)

Donkey Kong is just as old as Mario is in the franchise, as the first games to include the plumber saw Donkey Kong to be his enemy, not Bowser. Whilst that version is now Cranky Kong, the youthful tie-wearing Donkey Kong has gone on to make quite a name for himself as he has his own abundance of spin-off titles, such as Donkey Kong Country.

In these games, Donkey Kong is shown to be a powerful leader who just wants to protect his family and, therefore, many players admire him so much that they then proceed to play as this Kong in various other titles, such as Mario Kart or Mario Party.

4 Bowser

One Of The Most Loved Villains In Gaming

Bowser and Mario in Super mario Galaxy 2

First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. (1985)

While Donkey Kong may be the first enemy of Mario, Bowser has been the longest-running villain of the franchise, with this ginormous Koopa always finding some sort of way to kidnap Princess Peach or take control of another kingdom.

Even though he has done all these horrendous things, fans simply can't stop loving him and using him as their player character in the various other games in the franchise. As a villain, players have enjoyed encountering Bowser and are hopeful to see how he will continue as one of the greatest bosses of the franchise.

3 Kamek

The Biggest Menace Of The Mario Franchise

Kamek-Height — Kamek against a green silhouette of the Mushroom Kingdom

First Appearance: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995)

While Bowser may be the face that is attached to all the bad things that happen in not only the Toadstool Kingdom but also the entirety of the Mario franchise, a lot of the bad things that happen are caused by Kamek's magic cast. He is more than just the advisor to Bowser, as in many situations he has been the one to cause the issues himself.

A collage of multiple iconic Mario characters set to a Mushroom Kingdom background: Bowser, Mario and Princess Peach.

Mario: Characters Who Appear In The Most Games

These Mario characters are some of the most recurring individuals in the whole gargantuan franchise.

Posts 1

By Julián Jorge Fernández Loyarte

Players tend to respect this Magikoopa and some even favor him over Bowser himself due to how surprisingly caring Kamek is for the King of the Koopas. Not to mention how he has been the one to primarily look after Bowser Jr too.

2 Bowser Jr.

Small Yet Deadly

Bowser Junior defending Peach in Mario sunshine

First Appearance: Super Mario Sunshine (2002)

Surprisingly, the son of Bowser is commonly deemed more of a fan favorite than Boswer himself. This is likely due to the small mischievous Koopa being quite the adorable menace that is trying so hard to be exactly like his dad.

When Bowser Jr. Isn't helping his dad kidnap Princess Peach, he is instead being a villain by himself where he continues to torment Mario just as much as his dad has. It doesn't matter what Bowser Jr. Does, many fans of the franchise will still love this bandanna-wearing Koopa and his cheeky laugh.

1 Yoshi

The Unrivaled Favorite Of The Franchise

First Appearance: Super Mario World (1990)

Unsurprisingly, the Mario franchise sees the bright green dinosaur known as Yoshi as being one of the best non-human characters available in the franchise. In some cases, Yoshi is even more popular than the plumber mascot himself, Mario.

Players love Yoshi not only because of his adorable design and cute noises, but also because he is one of the most reliable characters in the franchise. Yoshi is more than willing to allow Mario on his back to take him on adventures, as well as being the one to save Baby Mario in Yoshi's Island.