We all know Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, and Bowser, but the best Mario games have expanded the cast of characters to a huge roster of friends and foes. Very few get their own games, but many do get invited to a few games of or one of the many sports outings. Granted, even Mario’s RPGs are light in terms of character building, but there are a few characters who manage to stand out with just a few lines or even just based on their designs. With over 30 years of games across console generations, we have looked back through to review and rank the absolute best Mario characters of all time.

The Mario franchise is not over, so there’s always room for an upcoming Switch game to introduce a new character that breaks into this list.

There’s a weird amount of love for Waluigi out there despite him only ever appearing in the spinnoff games like and This is the evil version of Luigi who…is purple. That’s about all the character he’s been given, and yet something about this lanky man has caught on in the Mario fanbase. He certainly has an interesting design and the potential to be a cool character, but we haven’t seen it come to fruition yet.

Wario, meanwhile, has fully embraced his own personality as the greedy, gross, and brutal version of Mario. Originally a boss, Wario has spawned his own line of games focused on collecting treasures and using his strength to bulldoze his way through levels. He’s lovably stout and has managed to step out from Mario’s shadow and into a popular character all on his own.