Wario (ワリオ^?) is a fictional character in Nintendo's Super Mario series, as well as the main character in his own offshoot Wario series and Mario's rival, of video games. The character was designed as an evil doppelgänger to Mario, making his debut in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss. He was designed by Hiroji Kiyotake, and is voiced by Charles Martinet, who also voices Mario and a number of other important characters in the series, and is responsible for giving Wario his trademark cackle.

Since his early years, Wario has evolved into more of an antihero than a villain, and has been given starring roles in his own games, spawning the successful Wario Land and WarioWare series. He has even been known to ally himself (however reluctantly) with Mario in games such as Super Mario 64 DS and Yoshi's Island DS, and has become a staple of the character rosters in the series' spin-off games, in which he is often paired with Luigi's own doppelgänger, Waluigi.

Concept and creation[link]

This emblem appears on Wario's hat and represents him in many Mario games.

A rival to Mario first appeared in the 1985 game Wrecking Crew, in the form of Spike, a construction foreman.^[1] Although Spike bears a slight resemblance, Wario was not to receive his true début until 1992 as the main antagonist of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, in which he was designed by game artist Hiroji Kiyotake, who was also responsible for designing Samus Aran of Metroid.^[2] The motive for Wario's design arose from the distaste of Super Mario Land's design team towards designing a game based around someone else's character. The creation of Wario allowed them a character of their own to "symbolize their situation".^[1]

The name Wario is a portmanteau of Mario's name with the Japanese adjective warui (悪い) meaning "bad"; hence, a "bad Mario" (also achieved by inverting the "M" in "Mario" into a "W"). When asked by fans if Wario was a "full-on bad guy", Kiyotake established that Wario was an antihero, stating that "Wario will ally himself with Mario when the consequences call for it, but being the famous plumbers' more naive and thick-headed cousin, he usually only does things his way and only wants to accomplish his goals." ^[3] Kiyotake's prophecy would be fulfilled in games such as Super Mario 64 DS, in which Wario teams up with the Mario Bros. and Yoshi in order to fight Bowser.

Character[link]

Appearance and personality[link]

Wario is portrayed as a corrupt and exaggerated version of Mario, donning the plumber's trademark cap and overalls, except Wario's are yellow and purple respectively, and his shoes appear to be green winklepickers. Despite his arms being more muscular than Mario's, he has a much fatter belly than his counterpart, and his facial features are more obviously flawed; featuring a more untamed moustache, puffy eyes, pointed ears, and a red, bulbous nose. He almost always wears a mischievous grin. In his earlier appearances, he also seemed to have a lazy eye. Despite these flaws, however, Wario's narcissistic personality leads him to believe that he is incredibly handsome – especially moreso than Mario.^[4]

As well as being inverse in appearance, Wario is also antithetical to Mario in his personality; whereas Mario is selfless in his acts; such as rescuing Princess Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom from the clutches of Bowser on countless occasions; Wario's primary trait is his greed – his goals must always involve personal, material gain. In an "interview" publicizing Wario World and WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!, Wario stated his preference for "cold, hard cash" over romance.^[5] In the case of the Wario Land series, Wario's adventures normally begin with him hearing of hidden treasures, and then pursuing his claim to them regardless of the dangers that he may face on the way. Even Wario's more heroic acts, such as rescuing what he believes to be a village in distress from a dark god in Wario Land 3, are only performed with the promise of treasure. The WarioWare series sees Wario establishing a video game company in order to make a profit. The vast wealth he amasses from his adventures are often spent on luxury items for himself: he lives in his own castle, drives a car resembling a purple 1961 Chrysler 300G (his vehicle of choice in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!), and flies his own seaplane, the "Bulldog".^[6] In the WarioWare games, he drives the "Wario Bike", a large, yellow motorcycle which he also races with in Mario Kart Wii and even uses as a weapon in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Wario is also an envious character, made evident by his constant desire to outdo Mario, as well as his jealousy of "Count Cannoli" in Wario: Master of Disguise, who threatens Wario by potentially being a better treasure hunter than him.

Like Mario, Wario also speaks with an Italian accent. Voice actor Charles Martinet, who had voiced Mario since 1987, auditioned to provide the voice for Wario in 1993. Martinet was told to speak in a mean and gruff voice, and described voicing Wario as a "looser" task than voicing Mario, due to Mario's voice and personality being "free-flowing, coming from the ground and floating into the air", whereas self-pity was a cornerstone of Wario's personality.^[7] Etsunobu Ebisu, a producer of Wario Land: The Shake Dimension, considers Wario to be a reckless character, who uses his strength to overwhelm others. Tadanori Tsukawaki, the design director of The Shake Dimension, described Wario as manly, and said he was "so uncool that he ends up being extremely cool". Because of this, he wished for Wario to come off as macho rather than silly, and requested that the art designers emphasize his masculinity.^[8]

As a character, Wario (along with Waluigi) is very much the comic relief villain of the Mario universe; his crimes are normally petty, and far less sinister and destructive than those of Bowser. In triumph, Wario often twiddles his moustache whilst delivering his trademark cackle, in a manner similar to that of a stereotypical villain from stage plays of the late 19th century. He can often be found capering with Waluigi in the cutscenes of the Mario Sports games, plotting to cheat, or sabotaging the heroes' chances of winning – plans which often backfire in a comical fashion. Another comical element of Wario's character is his lack of personal hygiene; he can often be caught picking his nose (a habit central to many of the WarioWare "microgames") or scratching his rear, and his signature attack in Super Smash Bros. Brawl – the "Wario Waft" – sees him using his flatulence to damage his opponents, as well as potentially saving him from falling out of the arena. A lot of the humour that comes from Wario stems from his tendency to get injured - a core element of gameplay in the Wario Land games introduced in Wario Land II is that Wario must take on different "forms" in order to navigate obstacles, forms which he can only achieve through means of physical harm, such as being squashed, stung by an insect, or set on fire.

Powers and abilities[link]

Despite his abdominal obesity, Wario has very muscular arms and is often seen lifting weights, giving him the superhuman strength which is so central to the Wario Land series. Whereas Mario would normally be hurt upon coming into contact with an enemy, Wario barges enemies out of the way when he collides with them. His trademark attacks in these games are a charging "body slam", which is primarily used for barging enemies out of the field, and the ability to lift up and throw his enemies at one-another, both of which can be utilized to destroy blocks and crates which may get in his way. In Wario World, Wario incorporates wrestling moves into his physical arsenal. In Super Mario 64 DS, Wario is given the opportunity to exhibit his superior strength to Mario and Luigi by being the only character able to break black blocks.

Where Super Mushrooms allow Mario to "power-up", Wario gains extra strength from the consumption of garlic, plumes of which, like the aforementioned mushrooms, are often found in blocks. In Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, eating garlic turns him into "Bull Wario" complete with horned helmet, granting him a powerful "butt-stomp" ability which causes the ground to shake on impact, stunning nearby enemies and destroying any blocks beneath him. In the WarioWare series, eating garlic transforms Wario into "Wario Man" - a mock-superhero who dons a pink jumpsuit and gains the ability to fly.

In the Wario Land series, Wario must used the aforementioned "forms" in order to navigate certain obstacles. Some examples of these "forms" are: "Fire Wario", in which he is set on fire in order that he may burn through special blocks; "Spring Wario", when hit by a hammer, coiling his body into a spring so that he may jump higher; "Zombie Wario" when bitten by a zombie, thus turning into one, so that he may fall through certain platforms; and "Fat Wario", which requires him to be force-fed cake to gain weight in order to break through otherwise-unbreakable blocks by jumping on them.

Other than his physical strength, bombs have been Wario's weapon of choice since the 1994 puzzle game Wario's Woods, in which he duelled Toad with them for control of his forest. So adept is he with bombs that Wario has even duelled Hudson Soft's Bomberman in the crossover game, Wario Blast, released the same year. Perhaps his most famous association with bombs is his use of the Bob-omb as his special weapon in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, which he shares with Waluigi. The WarioWare games also prominently use bombs as a visual motif in "microgames" to represent the time limit.

Appearances[link]

[edit] Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins

Wario's first appearance was as the main antagonist of 1992's Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins for the Game Boy. While Mario was away during the events of the first Super Mario Land, Wario invaded his island of "Mario Land", including his castle, and infested it with enemies, scattering the titular six golden coins required to gain entry to the castle. It is assumed that Wario and Tatanga, Mario's main foe from Super Mario Land, either teamed up or had a prior arrangement, since he appears as a boss in the Space Zone of this game. In the final showdown between the rivals, Wario utilizes the same power-ups that Mario uses throughout the game, including the classic Fire Flower. Wario flees following his defeat, ceding Mario's castle back to him. Interestingly, this is the only point in the Mario series thus far in which the two characters have fought in combat.

[edit] Wario Land series

Wario starred in his own game for the first time in 1994 with the release of Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 on the Game Boy. Taking place after the previous game, Wario is disappointed following his defeat at the hands of Mario, thus losing possession of his castle. However, he soon hears about the "Brown Sugar Pirates" (known as the "Black Sugar Pirates" in Japan and subsequent English releases) led by Captain Syrup, who possess great treasures including a giant, golden statue of Princess Peach. Wario sets off to their hideout on Kitchen Island, intending to steal the statue for himself and hold it to ransom so that he may obtain his own castle.^[9] The game is a platform game which plays similarly to a 2D Mario game, except Wario relies on his brute strength to tackle enemies and break obstacles. After defeating Captain Syrup, however, Mario liberates the statue himself, though Wario is still able to have the genie he obtained from Syrup grant him a castle in return for the other treasures and coins he collected on his journey. This game established Wario as a treasure hunter, a theme which has continued into all of his following adventure games. The second instalment of the series was Virtual Boy Wario Land, released in 1995 for Nintendo's short-lived Virtual Boy, in which Wario, on vacation in the "Awazon River Basin" (a pun on the Amazon River Basin), discovers a group of "Mask-Guys" carrying treasure into a cave. He follows them intending to steal it, but falls into a trap, leading into the bowels of the cave. Wario swears revenge in the form of obtaining the Mask-Guys' treasure. The game plays similarly to the first game.

In 1998's Wario Land II, also on the Game Boy as well as the Game Boy Color, Syrup exacts her revenge by having her henchmen invade Wario's newly obtained castle and stealing back her treasure. Wario, awaking to find his castle flooded and a deadly snake in his cellar where his treasure used to be, gives chase to defeat Syrup again and reclaim his treasure, obtaining some new pieces in the process. Wario Land II was the first to render Wario invulnerable to enemy attacks, except having him lose coins when hurt. Due to this, Wario was also able to take on the aforementioned "forms" in order to navigate certain obstacles. This, combined with a departure from the Mario-esque elements of the previous game such as power-ups obtained from blocks, in favour of game mechanics focused more on the use of Wario's strength, gave the game a more puzzle-oriented structure which would carry on into the rest of the series.

2000's Wario Land 3 on the Game Boy Color saw Wario's seaplane crashing by a cave. Upon exploring, Wario discovers a music box which he is sucked into, discovering a world on the inside. Inside, a mysterious figure claiming to be the world's god tells Wario that an evil being has sealed him inside five music boxes scattered across the land, which he asks Wario to find. Wario is reluctant until he is informed that he will be allowed to keep any treasures that he may find. Continuing the traditions created by the previous game, Wario remains invincible, and must navigate levels by taking on "forms". The game also featured a "day and night system", causing levels to change depending on the time of day in which Wario explored them.

In Wario Land 4, released in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance, Wario hears of an ancient pyramid full of treasures, which, guided by a mysterious black cat, he wastes no time exploring. Wario Land 4 reintroduced Wario's health meter, meaning he was no longer invulnerable, though he was still able to take on different "forms" through certain injuries. While following the formats of the previous two instalments, the forth game's level-structure also required Wario to find a sentient key and escape a level before becoming trapped there, giving him a limited time to collect treasures once the timer is activated.

Seven years later in 2008, the latest instalment in the Wario Land series was released for the Wii: Wario Land: The Shake Dimension (Wario Land: Shake It! in North America). This game sees the return of Captain Syrup, who, rather than being an enemy, helps Wario by selling him useful items on his quest in the "Shake Dimension", which exists inside a globe stolen by Syrup from a museum. Inside the Shake Dimension, the notorious pirate, Shake King, has stolen the "Bottomless Coin Sack" - a treasure which dispenses coins whenever shaken and never runs out - and has kidnapped the Queen Merelda and her subjects, the "Merfles". Syrup sends the globe to Wario to save herself the trouble of defeating the Shake King and obtaining the Bottomless Coin Sack, upon which an escaped Merfle asks Wario to undertake the task. Wario isn't interested until he hears of the Bottomless Coin Sack, upon which he happily sets out on his quest. The Shake Dimension plays similarly to the other games in the series, saving the addition of a "shake" mechanic, in which shaking the Wii Remote has Wario shake objects and enemies in order to extract coins and items from them. After Wario defeats the Shake King, Syrup takes the Bottomless Coin Sack for herself, the Merfle confessing that he promised it to Syrup. Wario, enraged, chases the Merfle around his garage. The game was much more story-based than previous instalments, incorporating fully animated anime opening and ending cutscenes by the production studio, Production I.G..

[edit] WarioWare series

In 2003, the Wario franchise introduced a new series of games, starting with WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! for the Game Boy Advance. The premise involved Wario's decision to open a game development company to make money, creating short "microgames" as opposed to full-fledged games. The gameplay of the title involved playing a collection of said microgames in quick succession. Wario was chosen as the star of the WarioWare series because the developers felt it was the best character for the franchise, in particular for frequently acting stupid.^[10] Mega Microgames! was later remade as WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games! for the GameCube, featuring the same microgames, but lacking a story mode and focused more on multi-player.^[11] In 2004, two sequels were released for the game, the Game Boy Advance title WarioWare: Twisted!, which due to a tilt sensor on the cartridge allows microgames to be controlled by tilting the handheld left and right,^[12] and the Nintendo DS release WarioWare: Touched!, incorporating both the DS's touch screen and microphone in the gameplay.^[13] One of the Wii's launch games in 2006 was WarioWare: Smooth Moves, whose gameplay uses the Wii Remote's motion sensing technologies in a variety of ways.^[14] The Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi have seen two new releases, 2008's WarioWare: Snapped!, which is available to download in the DSiWare service and uses the DSi's built-in front camera in its gameplay, and the 2009 Nintendo DS game WarioWare D.I.Y., which allows players to create their own microgames.^[15][16]

[edit] Wario World

Wario World, released in 2003 for the Nintendo GameCube marked Wario's first appearance on a home video game console, as well as his first (and so far only) starring role in 3D. The game begins with Wario sat on his throne amongst his collection of treasure, when an evil piece from his collection, the "Black Jewel", turns his treasure into monsters, and transforms his castle into action stages. Wario must fight through these worlds and defeat the Black Jewel, rescuing "Spritelings" on the way, in order to restore his wealth, and his castle, to its former glory. The game sees Wario making use of wrestling moves in order to tackle his foes.

[edit] Wario: Master of Disguise

Wario's 2007 Nintendo DS outing, Wario: Master of Disguise, sees him inventing the "Telmet", a device allowing him to enter his television, out of spite of the "Silver Zephyr", a thief from a television show of whom Wario is jealous. Wario steals Goodstyle, the Silver Zephyr's magic wand responsible for creating his disguise, transforming him back into the powerless "Count Cannoli". Goodstyle, who, it turns out, is sentient, transforms Wario into his own thief persona, the "silent but deadly" "Purple Wind". With his new disguise, Wario sets out to find the pieces of the "Wishstone", a treasure which grants wishes to its bearer. Although not officially part of the Wario Land series, it plays very similarly to Wario Land 4, except Wario must utilize a number of different "disguises" in order to navigate obstacles, achieved by the player drawing different shapes on Wario using the DS's touch-screen. Among these are "Genius Wario", who wears goggles allowing him to see hidden doors and platforms; "Captain Wario", a pirate who can navigate water; or "Arty Wario", a painter able to create blocks in order to stand on.

Other appearances[link]

Wario's second appearance was as the antagonist of the Japan-exclusive 1993 release for the SNES, Mario & Wario, in which Wario would drop an object on the head of Mario, Yoshi, or Princess Peach, rendering them sightless, leaving them in the hands of a fairy guide named Wanda, controlled by the player. He was also the villain of 1994's Wario's Woods (also for the SNES), a puzzle game in which he invaded the "Peaceful Woods", and the player controlled Toad in order to fight him off and reclaim the woods. That same year Wario was also featured in the crossover game Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!, a remake of a Bomberman title for the Game Boy which incorporated Wario as a playable character.^[11] Here Wario stumbles upon Bomberman's home planet and intends to loot it for his own gain, whilst Bomberman stands against him; the player can choose to control either character.

Despite their rivalry, Wario has occasionally teamed up with Mario in order to fight Bowser. In 2004's Super Mario 64 DS, a remake of Super Mario 64, Wario is a playable character alongside Mario, Luigi and Yoshi. He had come to Peach's Castle hoping to crash the party that Peach had planned, but ends up being captured with the two plumbers. When rescued, he becomes playable, contributing his strength with the ability to smash normally unbreakable black blocks, as well as the ability to turn metal, granting him invincibility and the ability to walk at the bottom of bodies of water. He is also playable (albeit as a baby riding on a Yoshi) in 2006's Yoshi's Island DS. When Kamek sends his minions to kidnap all the babies of the Mushroom Kingdom, Baby Wario is abandoned upon throwing an unbearable tantrum. Yoshi comments on his "funny smell" and his bad behaviour, but refuses to leave the baby behind. Baby Wario, keeping in tradition with his older self's greed, possesses a magnet, which he uses to attract nearby coins.

Starting with Mario Kart 64, Wario has become a standard character for the Mario sports games, including the Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Mario Baseball, Mario Strikers, and Mario & Sonic series.^[17][18][19] Wario has also appeared in all installments of the Mario Party series except Mario Party Advance, and is a playable character among other characters from the Mario series in Square Enix's games, the Japan-only Itadaki Street DS, and 2011's Fortune Street on the Wii (Boom Street in Europe and Australia).^[11] Wario also appeared as Dr. Mario's rival in the 2001 puzzle game Dr. Mario 64, in which he was playable along with a cast of enemies from Wario Land 3.^[20]

Wario makes a cameo in the Japanese-only Densetsu no Stafy 3, in which he aids the protagonist, Scoots. He also appears in the scenery of Pilotwings 64, when the player fires a missile at Mario's face on a parody of Mt. Rushmore.^[11][21] The Super Mario Adventures graphic novel, which is a collection of comics originally serialized in Nintendo Power, features Wario in two of the stories. It features a variety of storylines, including a story of Wario's past explaining his rivalry with Mario.^[22] Wario is also a playable fighter in 2008's Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, in which he utilizes his strengths and abilities featured in his Wario Land and WarioWare games against a number of other video game stars, including Mario, Donkey Kong, Kirby, and Sonic the Hedgehog. In its prequels, Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, Wario was referenced in one of Mario's alternate costumes, in which he affected Wario's yellow cap and purple overalls; in the latter, he also appeared as a collectible trophy.

Reception[link]

Since his appearance in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Wario has become a well-established mascot for Nintendo,^[23] and also received a largely positive critical reception. The video gaming magazine Nintendo Power described Wario as a "pretty uncool dude" which they "cannot help but like", and also listed him as having one of the best mustaches in Nintendo games.^[24] Computer and Video Games found the levity of Wario's games "liberating" compared to big Nintendo franchises such as Mario and The Legend of Zelda, and that regarding the character, "perhaps secretly we empathise more with the hopelessly materialistic Wario than goody brown-shoes Mario. Deep down, we'd all rather chase pounds over princesses."^[25] IGN editor Travis Fahs commented that while Wario was not the most likeable character, he has incredible confidence that overshadows his flaws and makes him entertaining.^[26] The website later ranked Wario 31st in a list of the "Top 100 Videogame Villains".^[27] In the book A Parent's Guide to Nintendo Games: A Comprehensive Look at the Systems and the Games, author Craig Wessel described Wario as a "sinister twist" on Mario.^[28] In the book Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares, Volume 1, author S. T. Joshi cites both Waluigi and Wario as examples of alter egos, also as evidence of how popular it is to feature such character archetypes.^[29] Wario (or a character based on his with a "V" on his hat instead of a "W") was placed in the background in the South Park episode, "Imaginationland Episode III" as part of the "evil army" in the imagination of the character Butters Stotch, where he was joined by numerous other fictional villains, including fellow Nintendo villain Ganondorf from the Legend of Zelda series.^[30] IGN ranked Wario as one of the weirdest Mario characters, saying that it is impossible to love him.^[31]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Book: Mario series characters
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

	Mario portal
	Fictional characters portal

• Wario at the Internet Movie Database
• Wario at the Super Mario Wiki
• Wario at the Wario Wiki