Gold Mario
Gold Mario from Mario Kart Tour.
Artwork from Mario Kart Tour
Applies to Mario, Luigi, any playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Super Mario Party, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Item needed Gold Flower
Golden Drink (in Super Mario Party)
Power(s) given Throw explosive gold/silver fireballs that turn enemies and blocks into coins.
First appearance New Super Mario Bros. 2 (2012)
Latest appearance Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (costume) (2024)

Gold Mario and Silver Luigi[1] are forms debuting in New Super Mario Bros. 2, acquired by grabbing a Gold Flower. In this form, Mario and Luigi can throw explosive gold and silver fireballs, respectively, which can defeat most enemies, turn any Brick Blocks hit into coins, and empty out any item-holding blocks caught in their blast radius. In Mario Kart Tour, the form also grants the ability to attract coins like a magnet.

Occasionally, like other power-up forms such as Cat Mario or Tanooki Mario, Gold Mario appears as a separate character from Mario himself, sometimes as a variant of Metal Mario.

History

Super Mario series

New Super Mario Bros. 2

 
Gold Mario and Silver Luigi

Gold Mario debuted as a power-up form in New Super Mario Bros. 2. In this form, Mario turns into gold, but Luigi becomes silver. In both cases, the form resembles Mario's Metal form, since gold and silver are types of metal. If Mario or Luigi reaches the Goal Pole in this form, he receives a coin bonus. The higher the pole is grabbed, the more coins he will receive. However, he will revert to Fire form upon clearing a stage, making it impossible to keep this form between levels. This form's fireballs are able to defeat almost every enemy in the game, including Boos, Thwomps, and even spiked balls (though not the giant ones; Boohemoths are also unaffected), rivaling the power of Hammer Mario's hammers. The form can also defeat most bosses with one fireball (though the Koopalings take three fireballs to be defeated).

Gold Mario and Silver Luigi can also gain coins by defeating consecutive enemies, either by stomping on them without touching the ground, hitting multiple enemies with a shell, or staying invincible. The values gained consecutively are 5, 10, 15, 20, and finally 50 coins for the fifth enemy onwards. When the area is under the influence of a Gold Ring, these values double to 10, 20, 30, 40, and 100 coins. The same values apply if a single blast from a fireball defeats multiple enemies at once. Additionally, touching a Gold Mushroom while Mario or Luigi are Gold Mario or Silver Luigi causes them to gain 100 coins (and consequently an extra life) instead of 50. In World  Mushroom-2, World 3-2, World 3-A, World 3-5, and World 4-5, there are secret rooms that only Gold Mario/Silver Luigi can access, which play the Coin Heaven music instead of the underwater theme.

The model for the gold/silver fireballs always spins clockwise, even when they are thrown to the left.

Super Mario Maker

One of the Mystery Mushroom costumes the player can obtain by chance after winning the 100 Mario Challenge in Super Mario Maker is that of Gold Mario (referred to as "Mario (Gold)"). This costume can likewise be unlocked if the Mario - Gold Edition amiibo is scanned upon the Wii U's GamePad. The costume consists of the original sprite of Mario from Super Mario Bros., only gilded. While acquiring this costume, the transformation sound effect from New Super Mario Bros. 2 can be heard. Sparkling sounds can also be heard at the time of wearing the costume. Gold Mario's blunt position, seen if the player presses   on the controller, is that of him raising his hand while looking at the player. All of these traits are shared with the Silver Mario costume, which can be unlocked either by completing the 100 Mario Challenge, or by scanning its respective amiibo on the GamePad. Collecting a Super Star while this costume is active plays the Metal Mario theme from Super Mario 64 rather than the normal invincibility theme; this is also shared with the Silver Mario costume.

Super Mario Run

Gold Mario, Peach and Bowser statues are available in Super Mario Run as a My Nintendo or Remix 10 reward. The pose is identical to the regular statues but with a solid gold finish. Gold statues of Luigi, Daisy, Yoshi and Toadette were added in version 3.0.4 of the game, and can only be obtained in Remix 10.

Super Mario Odyssey

Gold Mario returns as a costume for Mario in Super Mario Odyssey. It can be unlocked immediately using either the Gold or Silver Edition Mario amiibo figures, or if the player obtains more than 480 Power Moons. Unlike previous games, Gold Mario has a different finish and reflection color to the gold coins in the Super Mario franchise. Mario's voice clips do not change when wearing the costume.

Wearing the Gold Cap and Gold Outfit when confronting Bowser for the final boss battle scares him. This is a reference to the fact that, in New Super Mario Bros. 2, this form's fireballs can defeat him in one hit.

Mario Golf: World Tour

 
Gold Mario's artwork for Mario Golf: World Tour

Gold Mario appears as a separate downloadable character in Mario Golf: World Tour. He has the same stats, voice, and animations as the actual Mario with the only difference being his Double Bogey animation, where he turns into Super Mario instead of Small Mario revealing that he is just Mario powered up. He has a permanent Gold Flower shot, meaning he collects a coin for every yard the ball travels. This means he cannot use special shot types (Power, Item, or Approach) and is not allowed in Coin-Collecting Tournaments or challenges. In Mario Open online tournaments, players are not allowed to use him. The computer never uses this character in match play. To obtain Gold Mario, all three downloadable packs, the Mushroom, Flower, and Star, must be bought. His costume is unlocked by getting 10 trophies in online tournaments.

Gold Mario's promotional render for this game is an altered version of Metal Mario's from Mario Kart 7, replacing the tires he is leaning on with a golf club and giving him visible pupils.

Super Smash Bros. series

On the Golden Plains stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, if a character collects 100 of the coins scattered across the stage, they turn gold temporarily. While in this form, the character's attack power is increased, and the character does not flinch and cannot be launched. Despite this, the character can still be launched by being grabbed and thrown. While in the form, the character cannot collect additional coins until the form wears off. Unlike in New Super Mario Bros. 2, Luigi does not turn silver when he attains this form.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, some fighters can appear in their gold forms during spirit battles. When Xerneas is summoned from a Poké Ball or a Master Ball, it also turns the fighter who summoned it into their gold form. In addition, Gold Mario appears as a Legend-class support spirit, using artwork from New Super Mario Bros. 2. When equipped, the fighter gains a permanent "Super Armor" which makes them harder to flinch or throw. This is a stronger variant of the "Slow Super Armor" trait that does not grant a slow mobility penalty, though it costs three slots to equip (compared to "Slow Super Armor"'s two slots), effectively filling all slots and can be applied only to spirits that have three open slots. The spirit can be summoned using a Metal Mario, Super Mushroom, and Fire Flower core.

Mario Kart series

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX

In Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, Gold Mario appears as a downloadable alternate color scheme for Metal Mario. Gold Mario's Special Item is the Mario Coin Plus, which can be used to earn ten Mario Coins.[2]

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

 
Gold Mario in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Gold Mario appears in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as a playable character and the game's sole unlockable character. He acts as a variant of Metal Mario, similar to the Shy Guy, Yoshi, and Inkling colors. He is unlocked by winning all twelve gold cups of the base game in 200cc, though upon unlocking him, he replaces Metal Mario as the default choice on the roster. However, COM players never play as Gold Mario. Unlike previous appearances, Gold Mario lacks pupils in his eyes (similar to Metal Mario). His kart symbol is the same as Metal Mario's but with a golden "M". He is also the 200cc staff ghost for Mario Kart Stadium. Like Metal Mario, Gold Mario's voice has a filter.

Mario Kart Tour

Gold Mario reappears in Mario Kart Tour, initially appearing exclusively in Coin Rush mode before becoming a fully playable character in the 2023 Anniversary Tour, which was the last tour to introduce new content to the game, among which was the Gold Mario Cup. In Coin Rush, Gold Mario drives the Gold Standard as he races a single lap through a track (which changes depending on what tour the game is currently hosting), and draws in nearby coins, which may also be red or blue. At the end of the lap, all collected coins are multiplied by a selected amount then rewarded to the player. Gold Mario's special item is the Fire Flower, though during the Coin Rush in the Valentine's Tour, it was the Coin Box. In addition, Gold Mario has an ability called "Coin Vacuum", which allows him to draw in coins like in Coin Rush, albeit with a smaller radius. He is the only driver with this ability.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

Gold Mario appears in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit as an unlockable outfit for Mario. It is unlocked by getting a gold trophy in all 150cc cups.

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash

In Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, it is possible to have Gold Mario as an amiibo doubles partner if the player uses a Mario - Gold Edition amiibo. Gold Mario himself is otherwise not a playable character.

Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition

 
Gold Mario joining the party

Gold Mario appears in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition as a Leader, available with the game's digital update to version 2.0, unlocked after earning an S rank or higher in Course 4 of the Fixed Challenge mode in Score Attack. Gold Mario is a Light/Light attribute teammate with an HP rating of 4/6, an ATK rating of 3/6 and RCV rating of 5/6. Gold Mario's Skill, Gold Shine, changes Wood Orbs on the Orb field into Light Orbs, while his Leader Skill, Gold Sunshine, raises the ATK of the entire team by 3x if the player clears two Light combos, or by 4x for three Gold combos or more. Gold Mario uses Fruit and Rare Fruit to raise his Skill Levels.

Gold Luigi appears as a Leader as well, unlocked after earning an S rank or higher in Course 4 of the Free Challenge mode in Score Attack. Gold Luigi is a Light/Light attribute teammate with an HP rating of 5/6, an ATK rating of 3/6 and RCV rating of 3/6. Gold Luigi's Skill, Gold Flash, changes Water Orbs on the Orb field into Light Orbs. Gold Luigi shares the same Leader Skill and Skill item requirements as Gold Mario.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

In Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Gold Mario is Mii Wear costume that can be unlocked by scanning a Mario amiibo. In the 3DS version, players can activate the Gold Mario costume for a limited time, whilst it can be unlocked permanently in the Wii U version if players complete the Mario amiibo league. The costume's stats are overall better than all the characters in the 3DS game with the exception of Super Sonic, whilst in the Wii U version, it has balanced stats.

Super Mario Party

In Super Mario Party, characters turn gold when they use a Golden Drink, letting them receive one coin for each space they move during that turn.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)

 
Gold Mario in the Nintendo Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

In the Nintendo Switch version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, getting 100% completion gives a Gold Medal, which turns Mario gold; this effect is only cosmetic, but it can be stacked with the L Emblem and W Emblem badges.

Other appearances

In the first Animal Crossing game, there are two furniture items based off of Mario and Luigi: the Mario trophy, which is golden, and the Luigi trophy, which is silver.

There are different amiibo versions for Mario, where the Mario amiibo is coated either gold-colored or silver-colored paint. These versions are called Gold Edition and Silver Edition, and may be referencing the power-up.

In Hey! Pikmin, the Gold Mario amiibo, along with the Silver Mario amiibo and regular Mario amiibo itself, appear as treasures.

Profiles and statistics

New Super Mario Bros. 2

  • Electronic manual description: Press  /  to throw a gold fireball. Hit blocks with gold fireballs to turn them into coins. You'll also receive coins for hitting enemies.
    • Note: If you complete a course as Gold Mario, you will turn into Fire Mario.

Mario Kart Tour

Statistics
Special skill   Fire Flower
Favorite courses
(Three items per Item Box)
 
DS Airship Fortress
 
Tokyo Blur 4R/T
 
GBA Battle Course 1
 
New York Minute 3T
 
Vancouver Velocity 3
 
Singapore Speedway 3
 
Rome Avanti 3
 
Madrid Drive 3R/T
 
SNES Choco Island 2R/T
 
GBA Sunset Wilds R/T
 
RMX Donut Plains 1R
 
SNES Rainbow Road R
 
DS Luigi's Mansion
 
SNES Donut Plains 3R
 
New York Minute 3R/T
 
Los Angeles Laps 3R/T
 
Wii Mushroom Gorge R
 
N64 Yoshi Valley R
 
GCN Baby Park R
 
RMX Bowser's Castle 1R
 
3DS Mario Circuit R
 
3DS Neo Bowser City T
 
GBA Bowser's Castle 3T
 
DS Peach Gardens
 
Merry Mountain
 
Wii DK Summit R/T
 
SNES Mario Circuit 1R/T
 
3DS Rainbow Road R/T
 
GCN Baby Park R/T
 
3DS Rainbow Road R
 
N64 Kalimari Desert 2R
 
Wii Rainbow Road T
 
Singapore Speedway R/T
 
Bangkok Rush 2
 
N64 Kalimari Desert
 
Wii Koopa Cape T
 
Piranha Plant Cove 2
 
3DS Toad Circuit R
 
N64 Luigi Raceway
 
RMX Choco Island 2R/T
 
SNES Mario Circuit 1R
 
DS Waluigi Pinball T
 
SNES Vanilla Lake 1T
 
Ninja Hideaway R/T
 
Yoshi's Island T
 
Paris Promenade T
 
London Loop 2R/T
 
Berlin Byways T
 
Athens Dash 2T
 
SNES Bowser Castle 3R
 
GCN Mushroom Bridge
 
Wii Daisy Circuit R
 
New York Minute
 
New York Minute 2R
 
Rome Avanti R/T
 
Piranha Plant Pipeline R
 
SNES Koopa Troopa Beach 2T
 
Sydney Sprint R
 
GCN Daisy Cruiser T
Favored courses
(Two items per Item Box)
 
SNES Mario Circuit 1T
 
3DS Rainbow Road
 
RMX Mario Circuit 1R/T
 
Tokyo Blur 3T*
 
Los Angeles Laps 2*
 
New York Minute B
 
Vancouver Velocity 3R**
 
Singapore Speedway 3T**
 
Sydney Sprint 3R/T***
 
Madrid Drive 3T
 
SNES Choco Island 2R
 
N64 Choco Mountain
 
GBA Sunset Wilds
 
RMX Donut Plains 1
 
SNES Rainbow Road R/T
 
DS Luigi's Mansion R/T
 
SNES Donut Plains 3T
 
New York Minute T
 
Los Angeles Laps 3T
 
GCN Yoshi Circuit
 
3DS Rock Rock Mountain T
 
GBA Sky Garden R
 
3DS Mario Circuit R/T
 
3DS Bowser's Castle T
 
DS Peach Gardens T
 
GBA Bowser's Castle 3
 
DS DK Pass
 
N64 Frappe Snowland T
 
3DS Rosalina's Ice World R/T
 
RMX Rainbow Road 1R/T
 
GBA Sky Garden R/T
 
GBA Bowser's Castle 3R/T
 
RMX Rainbow Road 2R/T
 
Wii Rainbow Road
 
Bangkok Rush T
 
Singapore Speedway 2
 
Piranha Plant Cove 2R/T
 
N64 Luigi Raceway T
 
SNES Mario Circuit 1
 
DS Waluigi Pinball
 
Ninja Hideaway
 
Ninja Hideaway R
 
Wii Dry Dry Ruins T
 
N64 Yoshi Valley R/T
 
Yoshi's Island R/T
 
Yoshi's Island R
 
Paris Promenade R
 
London Loop 2
 
Berlin Byways R
 
Athens Dash T
 
GBA Bowser's Castle 4
 
GCN Mushroom Bridge T
 
GBA Peach Circuit R/T
 
Rome Avanti 2T
 
Piranha Plant Pipeline R/T
 
SNES Koopa Troopa Beach 2R
 
Sydney Sprint 2
 
GCN Daisy Cruiser R/T

* indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3. ** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6.
*** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Spirit
#24 Gold Mario
  Series/game Super Mario Series
Type Support
Slots 3
Class Legend
Strength / effect(s) Super Armor
How to obtain Summoned with a Metal Mario, Super Mushroom, and Fire Flower core

Gallery

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

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ゴールドマリオ[?]
Gōrudo Mario
Gold Mario
シルバールイージ[?]
Shirubā Ruīji
Silver Luigi
Chinese (simplified) 金色马力欧[?]
Jīnsè Mǎlìōu
Golden Mario
Chinese (traditional) 金色瑪利歐[?]
Jīnsè Mǎlì'ōu
Golden Mario
Dutch Gouden Mario[?] Golden Mario
Zilveren Luigi[?] Silver Luigi
French (NOA) Mario d'or (Super Mario Odyssey)[?] Gold Mario
Mario Doré[?] Golden Mario
Luigi Argenté[?] Silver Luigi
French (NOE) Mario d'or[?] Gold Mario
Luigi d'argent[?] Silver Luigi
German Gold-Mario[?] Gold Mario
Silber-Luigi[?] Silver Luigi
Italian Mario dorato[?] Golden Mario
Luigi argentato[?] Silver Luigi
Korean 골드마리오[?]
Goldeu Mario
Gold Mario
실버루이지[?]
Silbeo Ru'iji
Silver Luigi
Portuguese (NOA) Mario de ouro[?] Gold Mario
Luigi de prata[?] Silver Luigi
Portuguese (NOE) Mario Dourado[?] Golden Mario
Luigi Prateado[?] Silver Luigi
Russian Золотой Марио[?]
Zolotoy Mario
Golden Mario
Spanish (NOA) Mario dorado[?] Golden Mario
Luigi plateado[?] Silver Luigi
Spanish (NOE) Mario Dorado[?] Golden Mario
Luigi Plateado[?] Silver Luigi

Trivia

 
Metal Mario with the gold color scheme in Mario Golf

References

Interwiki links