Mario Bros is a widely popular platform game from Nintendo released in 1983. There have been other popular Mario Bros games in the Super Mario series featuring the popular twin brothers Mario and Luigi.
Mario has been portrayed as the Italian plumber and along with his brother Luigi is tasked to defeat the creatures coming from the sewers below New York City. The original Mario Bros game series has received great critic’s review. Players gain points by defeating the enemies and go to the next level.
Apart from Mario himself there are several characters or sidekicks in the game who help him in his task including his brother Luigi. These sidekicks come with their own powers and help Mario achieve his goals. They have been featured in numerous versions of the games and are as popular as Mario himself.
Let’s take a look at some of the popular Mario Bros sidekick characters and what makes them special and lovable to the fans:
Yoshi
Yoshi is a very popular sidekick of the Super Mario Bros Mario and Luigi. He is a fictional anthropomorphic dinosaur who made its first appearance in Super Mario World in 1990. The huge popularity of Yoshi can be deduced from the fact that it has appeared in many Super Mario games versions and spin-offs and he even had his own series. It has also been featured in various platforms and puzzle games.
The inception of Yoshi was done because Nintendo wanted Mario to ride a dinosaur. Yoshi posses many powers and abilities which make him stand out from the other characters. True to its name Yoshi appears in various colors. It has a prehensile tongue which means it can extend to a considerable length. This helps in grabbing distant objects and reach things that are in out-of-reach areas. After swallowing the things Yoshi can produce distinctive looking eggs which can be used for throwing at the enemies. Yoshi's large nose has a special power that is used to detect hidden collectibles and it can be used as an offensive weapon as well. Upon eating fruits Yoshi can change colors and with these colors comes different abilities like red Yoshis can breathe fire, blue Yoshis have wings etc.
You will find Yoshi featured in merchandise, such as toys, shirts, and figures. He has also been voted as one of the most popular video game characters of all time.
Toad
Toad is another popular sidekick of Mario and has featured in various games in the Super Mario Franchise. He first appeared as a citizen on Mushroom Kingdom in the super Mario video games. He is one of the loyal attendants of Princess Peach. Although portrayed as a non-player in several games, Toad assists Mario and his friends in many ways. He sometimes takes a center stage and acts as a protagonist like he did in Super Mario Bros. 2, Wario's Woods, Super Mario 3D World, and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
Appearance wise Toad looks very much like the rest of his species. He is often seen in a mushroom cap and clothes. He is tiny with small legs that are not visible most of the time. His cap has five red spots and he wears a blue and yellow vest.
You would expect the sidekick of the hero to be smart and brave, but not Toad. He is portrayed as rather a cowardly character, but this fact also makes him so likeable because of his innocence. Despites his cowardice he is known to do his best and give a hundred percent in the task. Overall he is a cheerful character with strong loyalty towards the princess and his friends.
Like other Mario Bro’s sidekicks, Toad too has many unique and helpful abilities. He is stronger and faster than other sidekicks. He can easily run up the walls and kick really hard. He seems to possess superhuman strength as seen when he throws enemies around. Some of the abilities he has are quite similar to Mario and Luigi like ground pound and wall jumping. He also has the ability to emit spores in case of an attack and use it as a shield. He can also sprout mushrooms from the ground.
Toad appears frequently in the Mario Series and is considered as one of the most lovable characters. He has also been featured in merchandise like toys and key chains and t-shirt designs.
Luigi
Of course everyone knows Luigi, the fraternal twin brother of Mario. He is slightly taller than Mario and is featured in most of the games. He first appeared in the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros. He often plays as a sidekick to his brother Mario and is one of the most popular as well loved characters of the Mario world.
Even though they are twins there are distinct features between the two brothers. Luigi is slightly taller and he is younger than Mario. He is seen in a green shirt with dark-blue overalls. Unlike his brother Luigi is more level headed and slightly timid.
Luigi has similar powers as Mario with slight differences. The players have the option of choosing from the two characters and choosing Luigi may come with a few restrictions. Luigi can jump higher than Mario, and he is usually faster than his brother. He is well known for his spring jumps which make him go off the screen sometimes. Mario can breathe fire, and Luigi has the power of electricity. Although he cannot wall jump like Mario, he can walk on the water for a short period because of his lightness. He is well known for clumsiness as well. He is a bit self conscious and often lacks in some or the other things when compared to Mario.
Luigi is considered as one of the most lovable characters in the Mario series. He is very popular and you will find him featured in merchandise like toys, puzzles, games and shorts.
Conclusion
These are some of the most lovable and helpful sidekicks of the Mario Bros series. They are unique in their own ways and both their abilities and shortcomings are loved by the fans.