For those who may not be aware, the gaming world has adopted March 10th as Mario Day. Because Mar10. We are a clever bunch. It goes without saying that he is an iconic character; he is Nintendo’s poster boy. However, does he deserve this status? And are we forgetting someone who deserves it more?
The Mario games are mostly just ok at best
Let’s get the big thing out of the way first: the Mario games are just fine, for the most part. That is not to say they are bad. Take a look at Galaxy and Super Mario 64; they can be incredibly charming and a fun way to pass the time. I would never bemoan anyone for being a massive fan.
For me, though, there haven’t been many entriesin the series that wowed me. When I play a Mario game, it’s never that long before I am reaching for something else. And the ones I enjoy the most are spin-offs, the Mario RPGs, Mario Kart, the Rabbid ones, Super Mario Smash Brothers, the usual suspects.
All that to say, if you step back and look at the Mario library, are they really that special? Or is it just that the connection to our childhood and Nintendo pushing him to the front that has tricked us? It would be a bit more palatable if he were a fantastic character, at least, but he just isnt.
He barely has any story or development
There is not much overarching lore to Mario. He is a plumber who has never plumbed a day in his life, and the vast majority of his games are just “look, a Princess, go get her”. That’s it. He never grows, and he doesn’t have much of a personality. He just goes “oh, I’d better go after Peach, yahoo”, game after game, ad infinitum.
Obviously, they aren’t all like that. Super Mario Sunshine and the RPG series do have a proper story, but again, he barely adds to them. He is just there, rolling with everything, barely having any reaction. I don’t see how he is Nintendo’s biggest icon when you compare him to the likes of Link.
Here is a character who can’t speak, yet still has miles more depth than Mario. His story is often the same: go save your Princess. Nintendo are very progressive. The premise is simple, yet the Legend of Zelda series has so much lore that the timeline is still debated to this day. Where is Link or Zelda’s day?
Luigi deserves to be celebrated a lot more
Finally, we move on to the main event, that other hero clad in green: Luigi. This poor man has been a second fiddle for far too long. Hell, his full name is even Luigi Mario; he can’t catch a break. But he does everything Mario does, and is somehow cast to the side.
Luigi has faced a myriad of life-or-death situations in the franchise and defeated them all. Yes, Mario also runs headlong into danger and wins, but that man is nearly immortal. Whatever lands in his path, somehow, he has no issue dealing with it. Mario has no weakness, and a crucial detail of a hero is that they need a flaw. Luigi has one glaring problem: he is a coward.
For someone who is this big a coward, he sure kicks some butt
So many shots of Luigi have him cowering from danger, and yet he will fight when needed. That is the whole concept of the Luigi’s Mansion series. He’s busting ghosts whilst scared out of his mind, and he even saves everyone in the third title. He is miles braver than Mario, who shows no fear. As that adage goes, Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.
Even in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, spoilers incoming, after being imprisoned and tormented, quaking in his boots, he still threw himself in front of Bowser’s fire to save Mario. Side note, still annoyed at the casting choices and how they hand-waved the accents away. At the very least, could they not have hired Italian American actors?
Back on topic, Luigi constantly conquers his fears to save the day, and yet still is overshadowed by his brother, who barely has to work for it. Mario might be the icon, but maybe it is time for Luigi to take his rightful place in the limelight. Let’s forget Mario Day and instead, make July 16th Luigi Day.
