Wario

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This article is about the character Wario. For the franchise of the same name, see Wario (franchise).
Wario
Artwork of Wario for Super Mario Party
Artwork of Wario for Super Mario Party
Species Human
First appearance Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992)
Latest appearance Mario Strikers: Battle League (2022)
Latest portrayal Charles Martinet (1997–present)

Template:Quote2 Wario is a recurring character in the Mario franchise, designed to be an arch-rival to Mario. He is a muscular, hot-tempered, obese, and greedy character, usually playing the role of an anti-hero or an antagonist; he has also gone on to become the protagonist of his own self-named franchise, the Wario franchise, including games such as the Wario Land series and the WarioWare series. His name is a combination of Mario's name and the Japanese word warui (わるい), meaning "bad."

Wario is a creation of Hiroji Kiyotake.[1][2] Long-time Mario artist Yoichi Kotabe also helped with the character's final design.[3] Wario's defining traits are his yellow cap and purple overalls; larger build and remarkable strength; unintelligence;[4] gruff Italian accent; rude, reckless, and greedy personality; zigzag mustache (as well as other bizarre physical features); insatiable appetite for garlic; and rivalry with Mario. The WarioWare and Super Smash Bros. titles depict him in a biker outfit: a jean vest, yellow gloves, and an aviator hat with goggles.

Wario has two iconic vehicles usually seen in his series of titles: the Wario Car from the Wario Land series, and the Wario Bike in the WarioWare titles. In addition, he owns a plane called the Bulldog, which appears in Mario & Wario and Wario's Woods, among other titles. In Wario Land II and Wario World, he is depicted as owning his own castle. The WarioWare series of games depicts him as owning a microgame-creating company called WarioWare, Inc. based in Diamond City. Wario also appears in the Super Smash Bros. series, in which he is classified under the Wario franchise, represented by his "W" symbol, separately from the Mario franchise.

Creation

Artwork of Wario, from Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins.
Artwork of Wario which was included in the Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins Shogakukan interview. He is depicted as being sketched by a gloved hand showing a "K", which presumably signifies Hiroji Kiyotake.

The idea to introduce Wario as a new character originated during the development of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. The staff team aimed for a "change of pace", and to not be bound by the ideas which were continuously used in Mario games leading up to that time; they desired to provide Mario with a new objective.[5] Rather than having Mario fight for the benefit of someone else (such as Princess Daisy in Super Mario Land, and Princess Peach throughout other games), the staff wanted Mario to fight to win back something of his own. It was initially director Hiroji Kiyotake's idea to introduce Wario as a new character that fits this change in objective, although several rejected characters were presented earlier, which no one took a liking to. Before any actual character development, Wario's name was the first thing that was decided on, being derived from the Japanese word "warui", meaning "bad".[5] Wario's physical design and personality were based on the idea that a protagonist should have an arch-rival and nemesis. Kiyotake stated that Wario's relationship with Mario was inspired by the American comic book characters Popeye and Bluto, who is physically well-built, motivated by self-interests, and more cunning than his counterpart, Popeye. Wario is the second Mario character to be inspired by Bluto, with Donkey Kong being the first.

Kiyotake subsequently discussed his idea with his assistant character designer and co-director Takehiko Hosokawa, with whom Kiyotake normally sought approval before presenting an idea to the rest of the game's staff. To Kiyotake's surprise, the idea to flip the "M" seen on Mario's Cap to create a "W" received extremely enthusiastic support from the rest of the staff.[5] Wario went on to become the game's main antagonist by taking over Mario's castle, which met the staff team's initial vision of diverting from the conventional objectives established by previous Mario games.

Yoichi Kotabe helped the development team of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins with Wario's final design.[3] He drew Wario with Popeye's nemesis Bluto in mind, and also partially based Wario on Stromboli, the evil circus owner in Disney's Pinocchio, to highlight his evil nature.[3]

History

Main article: History of Wario
Box art of Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Wario's first playable appearance

Wario's history spans several decades and includes many appearances throughout the Mario franchise. Wario is the main character of the Wario franchise, which encompasses two main series of games, the Wario Land series and the WarioWare series. Wario was originally portrayed exclusively as a villain, as he makes his first appearance in the Mario franchise as the main antagonist of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. He continues to be the villain in other games until Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, which starts the Wario Land series of games that feature him as the protagonist and the playable character of each game. Wario is also featured in the WarioWare series, where he is the founder and owner of a game company, WarioWare, Inc. In both of these series, Wario is generally portrayed as an antihero, as his goals are in the interest of increasing his own wealth.

Aside from games in the Wario franchise, Wario has been a playable character in one game in the Super Mario series of platformers, Super Mario 64 DS. Wario has also been playable in nearly every game in the Mario Kart series and Mario Party series, as well as the vast majority of Mario sports titles, such as the Mario Tennis series and Mario Golf series. Wario has been involved in crossovers between the Mario franchise and other franchises; he is a playable character in every game in the Mario & Sonic series, and he has been a fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series since Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Wario has also made small appearances within games in the Donkey Kong and Yoshi franchises, as well as some cameo appearances in games outside of the Mario franchise.

General information

Nationality

In the Japanese version of Mario Kart 64 as well as in all versions of Mario Party and Mario Party 2, Wario is voiced by German translator Thomas Spindler and speaks two lines in German, most notably "So ein Mist!" (German for "oh, crap!")[6]. According to a comment left by Spindler, Wario was envisioned to be German by Nintendo staff and he was directed to voice Wario accordingly[6]. Despite this aspect of Wario's character having been ignored since the release of these games and Charles Martinet taking over the role, with Martinet's portrayal adopting a thick Italian accent similar to Mario and Luigi's, Wario's theme song in Mario Strikers Charged is in a style reminiscent of Germanic folk songs. Charles Martinet stated on November 6, 2020 that he did record a "Doh! I missed!" voice clip for Wario.[7] Though Spindler recorded Wario's lines for the Japanese market after being told Wario was originally thought of as German, Martinet did not receive this information when recording Wario's lines for English and portrayed Wario as Italian similar to Mario and Luigi.[8]

Speech

Wario tends to speak more than his nemeses Mario and Luigi do. In SNES and Game Boy games, Wario does not have any voice acting, but he speaks through in-game text to express himself. During these games, he also tends to speak in slang, such as dropping his "g"'s and also using shortened words when describing Toad (such as "'Shroom" instead of "Mushroom"). He also speaks in various comic strips made during that time. Wario provides miscellaneous quotes as hints in the manual of the first Wario Land and narrates various parts in that of Wario Land II, and the manuals of Wario Land 4, Wario World, and Wario Land: Shake It! are primarily written with him as the narrator. He does, however, briefly have a synthesized chuckle sound effect in Super Mario Land 2, and also has a growling sound effect immediately before fighting him. In Mario Kart 64, Wario receives voice acting for the first time, provided by Thomas Spindler and Charles Martinet in the Japanese and overseas versions respectively. Spindler also voiced Wario for Mario Party and Mario Party 2, but Martinet has voiced him in all other games in which he has received voice acting since then. Martinet portrays Wario with a deep, gruff voice to give him a "tough" demeanor, whereas Mario and Luigi are given higher-pitched, softer voices.

Wario speaks with a strong Italian accent, but there are several notable differences between his speech and that of Mario and Luigi. For example, Wario is less likely to refer to himself in the third person, as evidenced by quotes like "I lost! To a buncha losers!". Additionally, Wario adding "-a" after contractions is much less common, such as when he says "It should've been called Wario Golf! You're gonna love it!" after the intro for the N64 version of Mario Golf. However, there are still some instances where this is not the case, such as Mario Kart Wii, where he says "It's-a me, Wario!" and "I'm-a gonna win!". Wario frequently speaks in full sentences; for example, he is heard saying "What, are you my caddy?" and "What is this dump?!" in the opening cutscenes of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Power Tennis, respectively, "Have a rotten day!" to his enemies in Wario World, and "Ha ha! Wario wins! Take that, losers!" in Mario Kart Wii. In the Super Smash Bros. series, the inverse occurs: Wario's speech in these games primarily consists of grunts and yells, with only one meaningful word ("Yes!"). In the WarioWare series, Wario often speaks in full sentences that are conveyed by subtitles; WarioWare Gold in particular gives Wario full voice acting for all of these lines. In some Japanese commercials, Wario was voiced by Chikao Otsuka.

Personality

Wario with his treasure in Wario World.
Wario displays his greedy personality by hoarding treasure.
A comparison of Wario's self-portraits to his paintings of other characters in Wario's amiibo Sketch.
Wario's self-portraits compared to his efforts at painting any other subject

Wario is extremely greedy and does anything to get money, as shown especially in the Wario Land series and in Wario World. He is also a miser, as he never lets anyone else touch his treasure. Sometimes, his greedy nature even overtakes him and he occasionally loses control of himself, even going as far as to double-cross his friends. He is also shown to be childish at times, which is best demonstrated in the ending of Super Mario Land 2, where he proceeds to cry like a baby after being reduced in size, only to punt his shoe at Mario before sticking his tongue out in a taunting manner while taking his leave. Wario's acts of heroism are usually driven by greed, such as defeating the Black Jewel and Shake King, and rescuing Spritelings in order for him to rebuild his castle or get treasure.

Wario is also incredibly vain. He considers himself to be very good-looking, despite most others describing his face as ugly or downright frightening; Wario is considered scary to most of the Toads and even King Boo (though not as scary as Bowser), as revealed in Super Mario 64 DS. Wario has constructed various monuments in his likeness, many of which illustrate his wealth. His palace in Wario World was filled with golden statues of himself before its destruction, which reappear in the game's best ending; in Welcome to Greedville, the centerpiece of Wario's hometown is a golden statue of him surrounded by a golden fountain, and in the Fire Attack game in Game & Watch Gallery 4, Wario is seen defending a giant golden statue of himself. Wario's vanity is perhaps most apparent in the WarioWare titles, where nearly every microgame he makes references him in some way. If he does not fully or partially appear in the microgame himself, then at the very least, his nose and mustache will be placed upon a creature or object, though the player might need to clear or fail certain games to see this. In WarioWare Gold's Wario's amiibo Sketch mode, when Wario is given an amiibo of himself as reference, he will draw a handsome, muscular version of himself in a detailed style resembling that of a shōjo manga, but when given a different amiibo, he will draw a comically sloppy picture of any other character, implying that he can draw exceptionally well, but only bothers to do so in order to boost his own ego.

Wario has been portrayed as simple-minded, with his bio from Super Mario 64 DS mentioning he lacks intelligence. However, Wario's Warehouse implies that he is smarter than Waluigi.

Wario's official bios and various games he appears in have established that his favorite food is garlic; according to Colonel Roy Campbell in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wario constantly eats whole cloves of garlic, which gives him smelly breath that spreads onto fighters caught in his Chomp attack. However, Hiroji Kiyotake originally envisioned Wario's favorite food as crêpes instead.[5] Wario is also known to be gluttonous and addicted to sweets, occasionally to his detriment, as shown in WarioWare: Touched!.

Wario reading the newspaper and picking at his nose while lounging on the couch, from Wario Land 4
An example of Wario's poor hygiene

Wario is also known for his lack of personal hygiene; he often picks his nose and forgets to clean his teeth, which can cause him problems due to his addiction to sweets. Wario has also been shown, mainly in Japanese media, to enjoy jokes of a nasty and bizarre nature, an example being discussing the color and size of his waste.[9] This aspect of his personality was not initially present, and was only introduced at around the release of Wario Land 4. Wario's fondness for crude humor was generally removed during the game's localization, although it later became prominent in Wario: Master of Disguise, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Mario Strikers Charged.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wario's down special is Wario Waft, which has him hold his fart in to unleash a methane-esque explosion. Wario also scratches his buttocks in one of his idle poses, in addition to wiggling it toward the screen in one of his taunts, alluding to his fondness for crude humor. Wario's back throw also involves him hitting the opponent with his posterior while posing. Wario can be apathetic at times, which is shown when he laughs after turning Ness into a trophy and making Lucas run away from him in the Subspace Emissary story mode, as well as lying on the ground and laughing at his defeated opponents. Wario's Super Ability, Gas Mask!, has him fart loudly and daze the opposing team captain (as well as his/her teammates). Wario's opponents negatively react to this, and make humorous wheezing or choking noises (while saying things such as "Oh, Wario!" or " Excuse you!"); Wario himself responds, saying nasty lines such as "Juicy!", "Spicy!", or "Excellent vintage!". Wario's slightly deranged, bizarre behavior also appears here, where his "Away" entrance animation has him make a slicing motion with his hand under his neck, signifying death for his opponent. One of Wario's animations for scoring a goal shows him being thrown up by his teammates, while he laughs wildly. One of Wario's animations for enduring an opponent's goal has him violently grab the metallic Soccer Ball and mutter "I hate you, you stupid ball!". However, the ball explodes on Wario, thus leaving him speechless.

Wario has frequently been used by Nintendo as a lighthearted comic relief character. This is evident in a handful of Mario and Wario games, where he humorously emotes, goes into long rants, or childishly rages in sports and kart races. Wario's double-sided humor comes into play in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as shown in his animations and moves, as well as cutscenes involving him in the Subspace Emissary.

According to the instruction booklet for WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, Wario was taught how to drive by Dribble & Spitz,[10] although his Mario Kart 64 trading card published by Nintendo Power states that while driving, Wario has committed "too many infractions to list", and that his license has been repeatedly revoked due to his reckless driving.[11] According to the instruction booklet for Wario Land 4, Wario exercises during his free time[12] and he is afraid of heights,[13] although he is seen bungee jumping in WarioWare Gold. According to the gamebook Warioland 4, Wario hates flowers[14] and sand,[15] and despite having an enthusiasm for it when he counts his treasure,[16] math is a weak subject for him.[17]

Physical appearance

A diagram of Wario in Wario World.
A diagram of Wario's body from Wario World

According to the Wario World instruction booklet, Wario weighs 308 pounds (140 kilograms), although he claims that this is just because of his clothes. He has broad, muscular arms, a large belly, and his excess fat overlaps the openings of his overalls; it is shown his arms and legs are pure muscle meaning the rest of his fat must be stored elsewhere.

His skin ranges from a fair to tan complexion. His nose is pink, large, slightly pointed down, and he has large nostrils. Wario's mouth is rectangular, as is his head, with blocky teeth and a fixed grin. He also has a round, thick, cleft chin. He has round, black eyes, which were initially wonky, shaped by his cheeks and arched brows. They are outlined with a light blue, baggy, ring similar to Waluigi's. He has very constricted pupils, and his iris is of a very dark shade.

Wario is actually not as short as he appears. He appears much wider than others, and he is noticeably taller than Mario. In fact, Wario is as tall as Luigi, in contrast to his stout appearance, but he is still shorter than others such as Peach and Waluigi.[18] His athletic abilities tend to make him a powerhouse character, as is expected with his body type.

Wario has light brown hair, the same color as Waluigi's. His hairstyle is similar to that of Waluigi's, having small flips at the back, swooped up bangs, and styled sideburns. He also has a black, large, zigzag-shaped mustache.

Within the Super Smash Bros. series, Wario's appearance changes. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, where Wario appeared as a Trophy, his undershirt was long-sleeved, while his skin had a tan complexion, reflecting his most recent appearances at the time in games such as Mario Party 3. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where Wario debuts as a playable character, his design is updated to match his contemporary appearances, though with a realistic look. Wario's undershirt in his "classic" costumes is now short-sleeved, though his overalls and hair receive realistic details; his biker outfit features the aforementioned details in his hair and shoes, though his denim jacket receives more pronounced textures. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Wario's design is updated to be vibrant and cartoonish, while his physique is more muscular, resulting in him appearing more in line with his recent appearances in games such as Mario Kart 8. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Wario receives a slightly subdued color scheme, while his hair and clothing receive simple detailing.

Clothing

Wario wears a plumber outfit similar to that of Mario, Luigi, and Waluigi. Unlike them, however, his outfit has some details not shared with his counterpart, Waluigi. He wears a yellow cap with a white streak on the rim, a yellow T-shirt and a purple overall with white buttons, and green pointed shoes. His cap has a blue "W" that exceeds the white spot space it is inside. He also wears white gloves with his blue "W" printed on it. Wario's primary color, yellow, is the opposite color of purple, Waluigi's primary color, on the RYB color model.

Wario's outfits in the game Mario Party 2.
Wario's outfits in Mario Party 2

Wario's outfit in older games is slightly different from his current outfit. Originally, his overalls were pink and he wore a long-sleeved yellow shirt. Wario wears a short-sleeved shirt starting in Mario Party 5.

In the WarioWare series, Wario dresses in a biker style outfit, which consists of a yellow helmet with red stripes, goggles, and a blue W similar to that on his cap, a dark blue undershirt, a short-sleeved denim jacket, yellow fingerless gloves, pink jeans, and his elf-like shoes. This outfit is only used in the WarioWare series and the Super Smash Bros series. In both Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 and Virtual Boy Wario Land, Wario uses an explorer's topee in place of his usual cap, which retains the blue "W" on the front, although he otherwise has a similar outfit to his standard outfit.

In the Mario Strikers series, Wario wears a pair of shorts and a yellow T-shirt with a numbered jersey, as well as cleats. Specifically in Mario Strikers Charged, Wario wears armor over his T-shirt and fist guards to protect himself.

In Mario Party 2, Wario's clothing changes depending on the board he plays on; as such, he can be seen in his standard outfit, a Western-themed cowboy outfit, a medieval-themed wizard outfit, or an explorer's outfit. In Mario Tennis Aces, Wario wears a tennis outfit (just like Mario, Luigi, and Waluigi), consisting of a yellow cap with a white visor, a yellow T-shirt with white collars, purple shorts with yellow linings, and a pair of sneakers instead of his usual elf shoes.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wario has 12 costumes, including his default overalls and biker outfit, while in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the number of costumes is reduced to 8, including his default appearances.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl features 6 costumes for Wario's original appearance in a cap and overalls:

Various Wario recolors for Wario's other outfits for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

  • The first is Wario's standard yellow cap and undershirt, purple overalls, and green shoes.
  • The second consists of a red cap and overalls, brown shoes, and a blue undershirt, resembling Mario's appearance in the DIC Mario cartoons.
  • The third consists of a cyan cap and overalls, a pink undershirt, and magenta shoes, resembling Mario's appearance on Mario Bros.'s Japanese boxart.
  • The fourth consists of tiger-orange overalls, a green cap and undershirt, and brown shoes, resembling Mario's appearance in Wrecking Crew's Japanese boxart.
  • The fifth consists of a brown undershirt and shoes, a cream cap and overalls, and brown gloves, resembling Foreman Spike's appearance in Wrecking Crew.
  • The sixth consists of a white cap, shoes, and undershirt, as well as dark blue overalls, resembling his in-game sprite from early Wario Land titles on the Game Boy.

Only the first four of these costumes return in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl also features 6 costumes for Wario's biker outfit from the WarioWare series:

Various Wario recolors for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

  • The first is Wario's default biker outfit, as it appears in the WarioWare series.
  • The second consists of a white biker helmet, jeans, and fingerless gloves, as well as a black undershirt and a red vest and shoes.
  • The third consists of maroon shoes, teal jeans and fingerless gloves, an indigo undershirt, and an orange biker helmet and vest.
  • The fourth consists of a black undershirt and jeans, and a dark green biker helmet, fingerless gloves, and shoes.
  • The fifth consists of brown shoes, a black vest and jeans, a white undershirt, and a red biker helmet and fingerless gloves.
  • The sixth consists of maroon shoes, a cyan biker helmet and vest, a grayish-white undershirt, and dark gray fingerless gloves.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate replace these with 3 new biker costumes, in addition to Wario's default biker outfit:

Wario's palette swap from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Wario's palette swap from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Wario's palette swap from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

  • The first consists of a red biker helmet, vest, and shoes, pale blue jeans, and navy blue fingerless gloves with fuchsia "W"s.
  • The second consists of a green biker helmet and shoes, fingerless gloves with yellow "W"s, a yellow vest, and lavender jeans.
  • The third consists of a purple helmet and shoes, periwinkle jeans, red-violet gloves with light blue "W"s, and a vest which is light blue in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and spring green in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Unlike in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wario retains the same dark gray undershirt across all of his biker costumes in these games.

Wario's Hiker and Cowboy outfits in Mario Kart Tour
Wario's Hiker and Cowboy outfits in Mario Kart Tour
Wario's Hiker and Cowboy outfits in Mario Kart Tour

In Mario Kart Tour, during the Vancouver Tour, Wario wears a purple beanie, a pair of brown snow boots with beige fur trimmings, a brown and yellow hiking vest, a purple sweater with "W" patterns all over in white, blue jeans, a purple hiking backpack with green straps, and carrying a lantern. During the Western Tour in the same game, Wario wears blue jeans with a brown belt with a silver buckle containing a Star, a brown vest, yellow square patterned shirt, and a beige cap and purple neckscarf.

In Mario Golf: Super Rush, Wario's outfit consists of a yellow polo shirt with a purple collar, sleeves, and buttons, yellow and purple pants with a diamond pattern, a belt with a gold buckle with a "W" on it, green sneakers with gray soles, and a yellow cowboy hat with a blue "W" logo similar to his normal hat.

In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Wario wears different outfits depending on the sport or activity being played. He can wear a yellow tank top with white stripes, which, depending on the event, may also have short sleeves, with black shorts, white socks, and green sneakers that are the same ones he wore in Mario Tennis Aces; a green, white, and black wetsuit while barefooted; a karate gi; black swimming trunks with a purple stripe while shirtless just like Waluigi's; or, in certain events, his normal outfit.

Development

Wario's physical appearance has slightly changed as his design has been updated. In his first appearance in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, he has bigger shoes, a more cartoonish look than Mario, and is noticeably slightly cross-eyed. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 updates these features, making Wario look less exaggerated. This game and Virtual Boy Wario Land also briefly exchange Wario's cap for an explorer's topee, although he returns to his normal attire for the subsequent three Wario Land games and all his appearances in the various Mario spinoffs. Beginning in Mario Golf and continuing after Wario World, however, he started wearing short sleeves instead. The WarioWare series introduced Wario's biker outfit, which subsequently appears in the Super Smash Bros. series alongside his original attire.

Powers and abilities

Wario defeats some enemies in Wario World.
Wario's defeated enemies fall at his feet.

Despite his fatness, Wario is quite athletic and wields superhuman strength that both exceeds that of Mario's and almost rivals that of Bowser and Donkey Kong. Wario's trademark move is the Dash Attack, which involves charging with his shoulder out. Wario is shown to have a wide variety of grappling moves; in Wario World, Wario can use his strength to attack his enemies in a variety of ways, using special moves including the Piledriver, Corkscrew Conk, and Wild Swing-Ding.

Wario consistently has the ability to use his body weight to his advantage. Since his first appearance in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Wario has shown the ability to Ground Pound, causing small earthquakes to stun his foes. In Wario Land: Shake It!, Wario is able to cause tremors by using the Earthquake Punch.

Wario charging up and firing up his Wario Waft, creating a huge explosion
Wario charging up and firing up his Wario Waft, creating a huge explosion
Wario charging up and firing up his Wario Waft, creating a huge explosion

Wario is commonly associated with explosives, including Bob-ombs, as well as ways of stealing coins, such as a magnet or even a large vacuum.

Wario's fatness is attributed to his unique eating abilities and superhuman gluttony. Wario can eat inanimate objects, and has used his oversized bites to injure foes. Some of his transformations are related to him eating something, such as cakes, doughnuts, and apples for Fat Wario, or stale garlic for Wario-Man. Wario also has the power of farting to stun or injure his opponents, as seen in the Mario & Sonic series, Mario Strikers Charged and the Super Smash Bros. series.

Wario has also demonstrated great strength with the use of items, such as the Power Up Pots, which give him unique transformations. He also shares some transformations with Mario, such as Fiery Wario and Metal Wario. Wario has other transformations associated with self-injury, such as Flaming Wario, Crazy Wario, Flat Wario, Frozen Wario, Electric Wario, and many more. Wario does not receive lasting injuries from these transformations, as he is always able to recover immediately as if nothing happened to him.

Occupations

Wario in the commercial for Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins.
Wario using hypnosis in the Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins commercial

Wario is often depicted as an adventurer and thief, and there have been many hints toward his other jobs and hobbies. One of Wario's most consistent occupations is his ownership of a game company in the WarioWare games.

The commercials for Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins and Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 consistently establish Wario as a hypnotist, although he only puts it to use in the former game.

Wario Land II seems to depict Wario as a farmer. He keeps several chickens outside his castle, including his notable "beloved pet" hen. It is unknown if Wario uses these chickens for agricultural purposes, though. He is also seen doing some farm work in Game & Watch Gallery 4 in the cutscene for Fire Attack. On a similar note, his third vehicle in Mario Kart DS, Dragonfly, is a tractor.

Wario is shown to be a shopkeeper in the Club Nintendo comic "Warios Weihnachtsmärchen", where he runs a bomb shop, as well as Welcome to Greedville, where he runs his own store, Wario Mart.

Relationships

Wario and Mario face-off in Super Mario Strikers
Wario and Mario face each other in Super Mario Strikers. The characters have a recurring rivalry in most of their appearances together.

Wario's greatest rival is Mario, stemming back to childhood according to various comics and the Super Mario-kun manga, where their rivalry is a major theme. According to Mario in the instruction booklet of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Wario has been jealous of Mario because of his fame, ever since they were children. While Wario occasionally teams up with Mario (for example, in Super Mario 64 DS), the relationship between them is mostly hostile, though Wario feels more contempt toward Mario rather than actual malice and Mario does try to be civil and friendly with Wario sometimes. A quiz on the Play Nintendo website states that Wario "claims to be Mario’s old friend". The official website for Wario Land 4 reveals that Wario enjoys tying Luigi's shoelaces together, and he is antagonistic toward Mario's other friends as well. He fought Toad directly in Wario's Woods, where he often called him names such as "'Shroom"; Wario and Toads also share bad chemistry in Mario Superstar Baseball (but not its sequel). Toads show fear toward Wario in Super Mario 64 DS, though they try their best to be polite to him. One remarks on Wario's lack of hygiene and advises him to wash his cap more often. A few, however, admit to changing their opinion on Wario after realizing how many Power Stars Wario has retrieved. In the Mario Party games, the Toads are polite to all playable characters, including Wario.

In Mario vs. Wario: The Birthday Bash, Wario was depicted as having a crush on Peach and tried to one-up Mario by buying her a Samus Doll she wanted for her birthday before Mario could. Wario also had a golden statue of Peach that Mario stole at the end of Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. Peach appreciates Wario's heroic deeds in Super Mario 64 DS, although in Mario Super Sluggers, they have bad chemistry. Other than all that, Peach has not interacted with Wario much to make their relationship with each other clear enough to understand and the games do not portray Peach as a love interest for Wario. Instead, Mona fills in the role of Wario's love interest, with various WarioWare games and supplementary material revealing that she harbors romantic feelings for her friend and employer, Wario, who is occasionally hinted to return the interest. She once revealed to Joe that she was interested in Wario's mustache. However, Mona's only concern for Wario is if he is too cheap to pay her fair share and everyone else's.

Opening cinematic of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Wario and Waluigi are shown teamed up in the majority of Mario games they appear in together.

Captain Syrup surpasses Mario as Wario's greatest nemesis. In her appearances in various Wario Land games, she measures up to Wario in terms of both wit and greed. Captain Syrup has called him "handsome" in her latest appearance in Wario Land: Shake It!, although she is most likely being sarcastic. Wario is also on bad terms with Bowser, as they mercilessly taunt each other in Mario Superstar Baseball and possibly share some rivalry, as shown in the opening movie of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. While they teamed up in Mario Power Tennis against the Mario Bros., this is the exception rather than the norm, with Wario helping to defeat Bowser in Super Mario 64 DS, and Bowser stopping Wario from taking Mario down in Mario Super Sluggers out of a desire to finish off their mutual foe himself.

While Wario and Waluigi sometimes bicker, their relationship overall seems to be a positive one, with them sharing good chemistry in the baseball games and often teaming up in sports events and spinoff titles. The two share many aspects of their personalities and even looks, although the exact relationship between Wario and Waluigi is somewhat ambiguous. Certain Nintendo of Europe sources such as Wario's Warehouse[19] or the Mario Kart DS website[20] suggest that they are siblings, but the DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games contradicts this idea by stating that they are not related under trivia notes.[21] Waluigi's trophies in both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl indicate that their relationship is intended to be unclear; Wario merely calls Waluigi his "traitor friend" when the two were briefly in opposition in Mario Super Sluggers, and Charles Martinet, who voices both characters, has stated his belief that they are simply "two evil guys who found each other".

In the WarioWare series, he has a growing selection of employees. In particular, Jimmy T is rumored to be his childhood friend. Mona is stated to have helped him adventuring, look up to him and have a crush on him, with one moment in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! alluding to Wario returning her affection by stating he finds her cute. He trusts Dr. Crygor to help with fixing his machines and creating his bike. His A-Rank card in WarioWare Gold states that he never locks his door so his friends can come and go as they please. While the trailer for WarioWare: Get It Together! shows Wario calling his employees "chumps", he also praises their abilities. Starting with WarioWare Gold, he also keeps a picture of everyone with him. However, he has been known to use them for cheaper labor and get away without paying them. Despite this, his employees forgive him not long after setting him straight. Overall, Wario's greed can get him into trouble with his employees, but he is ultimately close friends with them.

In Super Mario 64 DS, both King Bob-omb and Chief Chilly view Wario's mustache as "worthy" to challenge theirs, while insulting Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi about their mustaches, despite the latter not having one. Throughout both battles, the two characters do not berate Wario as much as they did to the other heroes, but they still treat him as an enemy of Bowser.

Wario has also been an acquaintance of Donkey Kong. In Mario Party, they are shown doing poses together, and they both specialize in strength. In Mario Superstar Baseball, they are on the same team, with Donkey Kong even attempting to give Wario a fist bump for the latter's home run, only to unintentionally pound Wario into the ground. Often, Wario has the same demeanor with Donkey Kong as he does with everyone else, but to some degree, Wario sees Donkey Kong as a powerful asset on his side.

List of game appearances

This is a list of game appearances for Wario, sorted by each game's release year.

Title Description Year System
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins Main antagonist; Final boss 1992 Game Boy
Mario & Wario Main antagonist; Non-playable character 1993 SNES
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 Main protagonist; Playable character 1994 Game Boy
Wario's Woods Main antagonist; Non-playable character 1994 NES, SNES
Wario Blast Playable character 1994 Game Boy
Mario's Picross Playable character 1995 Game Boy
Mario's Super Picross Playable character 1995 SNES
Mario Clash Cameo at 500,000 points 1995 Virtual Boy
Virtual Boy Wario Land Playable character 1995 Virtual Boy
Pilotwings 64 Cameo 1996 Nintendo 64
Picross 2 Playable character 1996 Game Boy
Mario Kart 64 Playable character 1996 Nintendo 64
Game & Watch Gallery 2 Playable character 1997 Game Boy
Wario Land II Playable character 1998 Game Boy, Game Boy Color
Mario Party Playable character 1998 Nintendo 64
Mario Golf Unlockable playable character 1999 Nintendo 64
Mario Golf Unlockable playable character 1999 Game Boy Color
Mario Party 2 Playable character 1999 Nintendo 64
Game & Watch Gallery 3 Non-playable character 1999 Game Boy Color
Mario Artist: Paint Studio Stamp 1999 Nintendo 64DD
Wario Land 3 Playable character 2000 Game Boy Color
Picross NP Non-playable character 2000 SNES
Mario Tennis Playable character 2000 Nintendo 64
Mario Tennis Unlockable playable character 2001 Game Boy Color
Mario Party 3 Playable character 2001 Nintendo 64
Mario Kart: Super Circuit Playable character 2001 Game Boy Advance
Wario Land 4 Playable character 2001 Game Boy Advance
Dr. Mario 64 Playable character 2001 Nintendo 64
Super Smash Bros. Melee Trophy 2001 Nintendo GameCube
Game & Watch Gallery 4 Playable character 2002 Game Boy Advance
Mario Party 4 Playable character 2002 Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo Puzzle Collection Playable character 2003 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Party-e Playable character 2003 e-Reader
Wario Ware, Inc. Playable character 2003 Game Boy Advance
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Playable character 2003 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour Playable character 2003 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Party 5 Playable character 2003 Nintendo GameCube
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! Playable character 2004 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Golf: Advance Tour Unlockable playable character 2004 Game Boy Advance
Wario World Playable character 2004 Nintendo GameCube
Densetsu no Stafy 3 Non-playable character 2004 Game Boy Advance
Mario Power Tennis Playable character 2004 Nintendo GameCube
Donkey Konga Cameo 2004 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Party 6 Playable character 2004 Nintendo GameCube
Super Mario 64 DS Unlockable playable character 2004 Nintendo DS
Yakuman DS Non-playable character 2005 Nintendo DS
WarioWare: Touched! Playable character 2005 Nintendo DS
Donkey Konga 2 Cameo 2005 Nintendo GameCube
WarioWare: Twisted! Playable character 2005 Game Boy Advance
Mario Superstar Baseball Playable character 2005 Nintendo GameCube
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix Boss 2005 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Kart Arcade GP Playable character 2005 Arcade
Mario Party 7 Playable character 2005 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Kart DS Playable character 2005 Nintendo DS
Super Mario Strikers Playable character 2005 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Hoops 3-on-3 Playable character 2006 Nintendo DS
New Super Mario Bros. Minigame cameo 2006 Nintendo DS
WarioWare: Smooth Moves Playable character 2006 Wii
Wario: Master of Disguise Playable character 2007 Nintendo DS
Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 Playable character 2007 Arcade
Mario Party 8 Playable character 2007 Wii
Itadaki Street DS Playable character 2007 Nintendo DS
Mario Strikers Charged Playable character 2007 Wii
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Playable character 2007 Wii, Nintendo DS
Mario Party DS Playable character 2007 Nintendo DS
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Playable character 2008 Wii
Mario Kart Wii Playable character 2008 Wii
Mario Super Sluggers Playable character 2008 Wii
Wario Land: Shake It! Playable character 2008 Wii
Kirby Super Star Ultra Cameo 2008 Nintendo DS
New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis Playable character 2009 Wii
WarioWare: Snapped! Playable character 2009 Nintendo DSi
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Playable character 2009 Wii, Nintendo DS
WarioWare: D.I.Y. Playable character 2010 Nintendo DS
WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase Playable character 2010 WiiWare
Mario Sports Mix Playable character 2010 Wii
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games Playable character 2011 Wii, Nintendo 3DS
Fortune Street Playable character 2011 Wii
Mario Kart 7 Unlockable playable character 2011 Nintendo 3DS
Mario Party 9 Playable character 2012 Wii
Mario Tennis Open Playable character 2012 Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo Land Mii costume in Luigi's Ghost Mansion 2012 Wii U
Game & Wario Playable character 2013 Wii U
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX Unlockable playable character 2013 Arcade
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games Playable character 2013 Wii U
Mario Party: Island Tour Playable character 2013 Nintendo 3DS
Mario Golf: World Tour Playable character 2014 Nintendo 3DS
Mario Kart 8 Playable character 2014 Wii U
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U Unlockable playable character 2014 Nintendo 3DS, Wii U
Mario Party 10 Playable character 2015 Wii U
Super Mario Maker Playable character (Costume Mario) 2015 Wii U
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash Playable character 2015 Wii U
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Playable character 2016 Nintendo 3DS, Arcade, Wii U
Minecraft: Wii U Edition Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up 2016 Wii U
Mario Party: Star Rush Playable character 2016 Nintendo 3DS
Mario Sports Superstars Playable character 2017 Nintendo 3DS
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Playable character 2017 Nintendo Switch
Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up 2017 Nintendo Switch
Mario Kart Arcade GP VR Non-playable character 2017 Arcade
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Cameo 2017 Nintendo Switch
Mario Party: The Top 100 Playable character 2017 Nintendo 3DS
Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up 2018 New Nintendo 3DS
Minecraft (Bedrock version) Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up 2018 Nintendo Switch
Mario Tennis Aces Playable character 2018 Nintendo Switch
WarioWare Gold Playable character 2018 Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario Party Playable character 2018 Nintendo Switch
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Unlockable playable character 2018 Nintendo Switch
Dr. Mario World Unlockable playable character 2019 iOS, Android
Mario Kart Tour Unlockable playable character 2019 iOS, Android
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Playable character 2019 Nintendo Switch
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition Playable character 2020 Arcade
Mario Golf: Super Rush Playable character 2021 Nintendo Switch
WarioWare: Get It Together! Playable character 2021 Nintendo Switch
Tetris 99 Cameo as an I-Tetromino 2021 Nintendo Switch
Mario Party Superstars Playable character 2021 Nintendo Switch
Mario Strikers: Battle League Playable character 2022 Nintendo Switch

Profiles and statistics

Main article: List of Wario profiles and statistics

WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! information

  • Occupation: CEO; Adventurer
  • Skills: Stupid Strength; Gluttony
  • Words to Live By: Get Rich Quick!
  • A treasure-hungry adventurer, Wario dreams of making a fortune off of video games. He's even formed his own company. So far, it's not working out very well.

Mario Party 7

Wario's emblem

Mario Party 8

  • Website Bio: If anyone has a healthy appetite for candy, it's Wario, and he's greedy enough to do anything to get it.
  • Team Names:
    • Mario: Big Sarrios
    • Luigi: Green 'n' Greedy
    • Peach: Sugar 'n' Spies
    • Yoshi: Poached Eggs
    • Daisy: Mischief-Makers
    • Waluigi: Double-Crossers
    • Toad: Crazy Allies
    • Boo: Double-Dealers
    • Toadette: Double Agents
    • Birdo: Rotten Eggs
    • Dry Bones: Dumb Skulls
    • Blooper: Drenched Stench
    • Hammer Bro: Scammer Hammer

Portrayals

This is a list of all voice actors who have portrayed Wario.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Wario.

Quotes

Main article: List of Wario quotes

Names in other languages

Main article: List of Wario names in other languages
Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ワリオ[?]
Wario
Portmanteau of「わるい」(warui, "bad") and "Mario"
Chinese (simplified) 瓦力欧[?]
Wǎlì'ōu
Transliteration of the international name
Chinese (traditional) 壞利歐[32]
Huàilì'ōu
From "壞" (huài, "bad") and "瑪利歐" (Mǎlì'ōu, "Mario") Hong Kong
壞莉歐[33]
Huàilì'ōu
From "壞" (huài, "bad") and "瑪莉歐" (Mǎlì'ōu, "Mario") Taiwan
瓦利歐[34][35]
Wǎlì'ōu
Transliteration of the international name since Mario Party 9
Dutch Wario[?] -
French Wario[?] -
German Wario[?] -
Italian Wario[?] -
Korean 와리오[?]
Wario
Transliteration of the international name
Portuguese Wario[?] -
Russian Варио[?]
Vario
Transliteration of the international name
Spanish Wario[?] -

Trivia

Wario's look-a-like
Wario's look-alike in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
  • Wario is the only Mario character with an amiibo released before the launch of Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge who does not have a corresponding Mini Toy in the game, as using Wario's amiibo only leads to the player simply receiving a Mini Spek.
  • In the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Plummers Academy", an unnamed, overweight plumber wearing yellow and purple clothing can be seen as a classmate of Mario and Luigi. This character's similarity to Wario is probably coincidental, as Wario's debut came three years after The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! was produced.

References

  1. ^ List of WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! staff
  2. ^ Famicom Disk System: The More You Play It, the More You'll Want to Play [Disk 1], Nintendo DREAM, Vol. 118. (Translation available at Metroid Database)
  3. ^ a b c William Andureau (December 06, 2018). "Les confidences du dessinateur historique des personnages Nintendo". Le Monde. Retrieved December 14, 2018 (English translation available here)
  4. ^ Super Mario 64 DS Instructional booklet, page 21. "Though Wario's lacking in the speed and agility departments (not to mention intelligence)..."
  5. ^ a b c d Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins official Shogakukan game guide, staff interview on pages 106-111 (translation provided by "Shmuplations", accessed September 10, 2016)
  6. ^ a b c "This is 100% correct. Wario speaks German: he says (or rather, *I* say) 'So ein Mist!' The recording was done in a studio of the former Nintendo head office in Kyoto (not the new Nintendo premises in Kamitobaguchi), under the direction of Mr. Takashi Tezuka. [...] The concept behind Wario was that of a German character and those responsible for the voice-overs at Nintendo back then intended him to speak German. I hope that this resolves the issue once and for all."" Comment left by Thomas Spindler on the video "Wario speaks German ("So ein Mist!") (September 28, 2015). YouTube. Retrieved April 10, 2017
  7. ^ Charles Martinet on "Doh! I missed!" - Twitter, retrieved Nov 6, 2020
  8. ^ Nintendo Life, Charles Martinet Adds To Decades-Old Confusion Over Wario 'D'oh, I Missed' Dialogue - Retrieved Nov 6, 2020
  9. ^ https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/awaj/heya/answer.html (Japanese) Translated: Question: Wario, how big is your poop anyway? Answer: Hey! Stop it with the dirty jokes! Is something I should say!! However…since it’s a good question I’m going to answer it! Last night, I put down 10 plates of liver sauteed with leek, 10 crapes, 10 plates of rice curry. My morning poop was very yellow, it was a good color and a big one too! It almost touched the seat of the toilet! I know! The smell is a mix of tsukemono (pickled vegetables), raw eggs, carassius sushi. Try smelling it!
  10. ^ "Oh, hey! Between us, we taught Wario how to drive! He'd never admit it, but it's true..." — WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! North American instruction booklet, page 19.
  11. ^ N64th Street [@n64thstreetgifs] (February 24, 2021). Nintendo Power’s Mario Kart 64 trading cards. Twitter. Retrieved May 21, 2023. (Archived May 22, 2023, 00:59:49 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  12. ^ "While listening to country music, I do ten sets of 100 push-ups each. That's how I can do such powerful attacks!!" — Wario Land 4 North American instruction booklet, page 39.
  13. ^ "My game has a lot of action in high places, but to tell you the truth, I'm afraid of heights!! Waaah! Scary! I'm wigging out!!!" — Wario Land 4 North American instruction booklet, page 24.
  14. ^ Wessel, Craig. Warioland 4. Page 63. "I landed in a field full of flowers — yuck!"
  15. ^ Wessel, Craig. Warioland 4. Page 63. "I hate sand, but what I hate even more was that there was no treasure in sight!"
  16. ^ Wessel, Craig. Warioland 4. Page 29. "Have I mentioned how much I love numbers? I really do. How else could I count my treasure? Though the numbers in this maze were starting to annoy me. As I explored I came across another number block."
  17. ^ Wessel, Craig. Warioland 4. Page 35. "Once I was through the vortex, I entered a room with numbered blocks. “Uh-oh,” I said. Math was never my strong point, so this sort of puzzle even puzzled a genius like me. My guess was that I had to have one number on all the blocks in order to get by. I chose 6 because it was the highest number."
  18. ^ Size comparison chart.
  19. ^ Wario (in first-person writing) refers to Waluigi as his brother in at least two entries.
  20. ^ "Wario's weird sibling constructed this high-speed track inside a giant pinball table; complete with bumpers, flippers, ramps and enormous steel spheres that bounce you around like - well, like a pinball. Make sure to bring plenty of aspirin for this race." - Waluigi Pinball description, European Mario Kart DS website
  21. ^ File:Winter Olympics News Brief.png
  22. ^ 声優、俳優 大塚 周夫 さん死去. 追悼の森. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  23. ^ Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992 Commercial). Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  24. ^ @fumanchews (June 20, 2020). "Also im being 100% serious, nintendo still owns them and isn't willing to donate them to a museum. This could actually happen". Twitter. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  25. ^ @SMWikiOfficial (June 20, 2020). "LRT: We've got a name for the voice of that E3 Wario puppet: Dale Johannes". Twitter. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  26. ^ DigitalNeohuman (April 24, 2010). Real Time Mario at the 1992 SCES. YouTube. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  27. ^ Emilio Reyes, J. (July 6, 2018). WarioWare Gold contará con doblaje al español latinoamericano. 3DJuergos. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  28. ^ [1] Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  29. ^ [2] Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  30. ^ [3] Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  31. ^ Japanese Mario Party gameplay video
  32. ^ Wii software list. nintendo.com.hk. Archived November 8, 2017, 09:16:17 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  33. ^ Wii software list. nintendo.tw. Archived March 15, 2019, 03:48:30 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  34. ^ "Character" section on the official Mario Party 9 website for Hong Kong. nintendo.co.hk. Retrieved December 27, 2019. (Archived April 15, 2022, 14:05:45 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  35. ^ "Character" section on the official Mario Party 9 website for Taiwan. nintendo.tw. Retrieved December 27, 2019. (Archived February 3, 2021, 02:27:17 UTC via Wayback Machine.)

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