Best Nintendo Characters Who Are Canonically Dead

Nintendo is often seen as a child-friendly company that makes lighthearted games that very rarely feature dark themes, like death. But this would be quite an erroneous assessment since there are numerous characters in their games that not only have canonically died but have remained dead to this day.

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By  Tristan Jurkovich

These are some of the most memorable and likable characters from Nintendo games that are canonically dead, originating from franchises like Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and more. It’s important to clarify that this list will exclusively contain examples from first-party Nintendo games and not anything that was developed by one of their many second-party developers.

1 Mikau

A Parent's Heartwarming Sacrifice

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is undoubtedly one of the darkest Nintendo games ever made so, as a result, its storyline features a lot of death and even the end of the world itself. However, the most prominent deceased characters in the entire game are those whose souls were trapped in the masks that Link can wear to transform himself. Mikau is one of them, and his backstory is surprisingly tragic.

He was a successful Zora musician who was part of a band alongside his partner, Lulu. But when their eggs were stolen by pirates, Mikau tried to retrieve them by infiltrating their fortress. Sadly, he didn’t succeed, and he eventually died because of the wounds caused by the pirates. Fortunately, Link found him just before he passed away and played the Song of Healing, so his soul would be transferred to the Zora Mask.

2 The Four Champions

Died Protecting Hyrule From Calamity Ganon

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a game with a surprisingly rich lore, since it seems that a lot of crucial events happened before Link even began his new journey. The truth is that the war against Calamity Ganon had been raging on for hundreds of years, and many warriors tragically perished while trying to hold back this evil being.

Revali, Daruk, Mipha, and Urbosa were the famous Champions that fought alongside Link 100 years in the past. But, sadly, they were all trapped inside their own Divine Beast, where they were forced to fight a different incarnation of Ganon until their final breath. However, despite their demise, their spirits lived on inside each Divine Beast, and they managed to help Link one last time before moving into the afterlife.

3 King Rauru & Queen Sonia

The Founders Of Hyrule Were Victims Of Ganondorf

Similarly to its predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom features a prominent backstory that is set many years in the past. In it, Princess Zelda travels through time and meets King Rauru and Queen Sonia, her ancestors and the founders of Hyrule.

But sadly, Zelda found out the tragic truth: both of them passed away in their conflict against Ganondorf. Sonia was brutally murdered by the villain, who was trying to steal her Secret Stone, while Rauru sacrificed himself so he could seal the Demon King’s power for as much time as possible. His arm was the only part of his body left, and it attached itself to Link, so the hero could use it in the fight against the recently liberated Ganondorf in the present.

4 Portrait Ghosts

A Bunch Of Charming Bosses With Dark Backstories

Surprisingly enough, it seems that the Ghost enemies from Luigi’s Mansion are not technically spirits of the dead, but sentient paintings that were created by Vincent Van Gore. But this artist is a Portrait Ghost, a group of bosses that Luigi encounters throughout his adventure, and they actually are the spirits of deceased people.

The Portrait Ghosts are the heart and soul of Luigi’s Mansion because they all have varying designs and personalities that make them a joy to interact with. From Neville’s obsession with the books he couldn’t read while he was alive, to the athletic Biff Atlas, these ghosts are truly fascinating characters. Not to mention that several portraits can be found in the mansion that has images of their original selves back when they lived, practically confirming that these are their ghosts.

5 Rosalina’s Mother

She’s Part Of The Saddest Moment In A Mainline Mario Game

Longtime Nintendo fans usually recall Rosalina’s Storybook from Super Mario Galaxy as one of the most shockingly tragic and emotional moments ever put in a Mario game. Princess Rosalina’s backstory is both endearing and sad, and a major highlight of this otherwise cheerful game.

At one point in the story, Rosalina mentions her mother, who tragically passed away of unknown causes. However, right before dying, she tells her daughter that she will always be watching over her in the form of a star, which perfectly ties in with Rosalina’s astral theme. Coming to terms with her mother’s death is a huge part of her backstory and, with the help of her Luma friends, she not only managed to do that, but she also became a loving mother figure herself.

6 The Baby

Samus’ Adopted Child Had To Sacrifice Itself

Super Metroid is a masterpiece in minimal storytelling since the entire plot of this game is centered on Samus Aran’s retrieval of the Baby, the infant Metroid that she accidentally adopted back in Metroid 2: Samus Returns and who was tragically kidnapped by Space Pirates. Near the end of the game, Samus finds out that the baby has grown significantly after absorbing energy from various lifeforms, and it eventually gets involved in the battle against Mother Brain in a heroic manner.

Just when it seemed like everything was lost, the Baby inadvertently appears, heals Samus, and attacks Mother Brain. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to defeat the evil matriarch, but the baby had departed after giving its adoptive mother a brand-new weapon: the Hyper Beam, which she effectively used to put down Mother Brain once and for all.

7 Ridley

Samus Eventually Managed To Kill Her Longtime Rival For Good

There is no doubt that Ridley, one of the leaders of the Space Pirates, is Samus Aran’s most dangerous enemy. He not only killed her parents, but he also kept appearing during the bounty hunter’s many missions to attack her, as was seen in games like Metroid, Zero Mission, and Samus Returns.

However, this deadly rivalry is finally put to an end when Ridley tries to kidnap Samus’ adoptive baby during the events of Super Metroid, where she manages to kill him after an intense battle. But the protagonist couldn’t put her mind at ease, because it seems Ridley’s DNA was so valuable that he was cloned not once but twice. Fortunately, Samus managed to defeat and kill all of these clones, putting an end to the reign of this ruthless Space Pirate.

8 Andross

His Defeat Put An End To The Chaotic Lylat Wars

Andross is the iconic main antagonist of the Star Fox franchise: an evil scientist-turned-tyrant who not only declared war on the entire Lylat System but also seems to be responsible for the disappearance (or death) of James McCloud, Fox McCloud’s father. He’s a ruthless, albeit fascinating villain and a great foil for Fox himself.

Both Star Fox and Star Fox 64 are centered on the intense war against Andross and his destructive forces, and the evil scientist even experimented on himself to turn into a giant mechanical head with cyborg hands. At the end of the day, Fox managed to kill Andross and even escaped Venom with the help of his father’s spirit. In Star Fox Adventures, it was revealed that Andross' soul managed to transfer itself into a new body, but he was killed for good by Fox and his team. He hasn’t been seen ever since, except for a few Star Fox remakes and reboots.

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