Mario (Mario Series)
Mario, originally named Jumpman, is the main character of the Super Mario Bros. franchise, created by the creative director and video game designer at Nintendo of Japan, Shigeru Miyamoto. Mario has appeared in almost every Mario game, including games in spin-off series as a playable character, with few exceptions including New Super Luigi U, Luigi’s Mansion games, Yoshi’s Island games, and similar counterparts. He is the most iconic character in video game history and is Nintendo’s unofficial mascot. His franchise has grown to be the most successful video game franchise of all time.
Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Sonic the Hedgehog, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is the title character and protagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series released by SEGA, as well as numerous spin-off comics, five animated shows, and an animated OVA.
Kirby (Kirby)
Kirby is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Kirby series of video games owned by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory. His first game was created in 1992, and the pink puffball has made his way into the hearts of fans of all ages.
Luigi (Mario Series)
Luigi, originally a palette swap of Mario named Green Mario, is a major character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by prominent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the slightly younger, taller fraternal twin brother of Nintendo’s unofficial mascot Mario, and appears in many games throughout the Super Mario franchise, often as a sidekick to his brother.
Yoshi (Mario Series)
Yoshi, once romanized as Yossy, is a fictional anthropomorphic dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Often appearing as a sidekick and helper to Mario, Yoshi is most known for his appearances in the Yoshi’s Island and the Super Mario franchises.
Master Chief (Halo Series)
Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, more commonly known as the Master Chief, is a SPARTAN-II commando of the UNSC Naval Special Warfare Command. He is the protagonist and main character in both the Halo trilogy and Reclaimer Saga.
Pikachu (Pokemon)
Pikachu (Japanese: ピカチュウ) are a species of Pokémon, fictional creatures that appear in an assortment of video games, animated television shows and movies, trading card games, and comic books licensed by The Pokémon Company, a Japanese corporation. A mascot of the Pokemon franchise, it’s considered to be the most iconic character of all Pokemon species, as well as a major character in Japanese pop culture, due to its companionship with Ash Ketchum in the anime series. Pikachu has been featured in movies such as Pokemon Detective Pikachu as well as music videos – most notably Katy Perry’s “Electric” in 2021.
Link (Legend of Zelda)
Link refers to several different incarnations of the same protagonist of Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series.
Bowser (Mario Series)
Bowser is the main antagonist of the Mario Bros. Franchise. From kidnapping Princess Peach to simply destroying a fun game between Mario and Friends in the Mario Party spinoff series, this king of the Koopas has set up a certain hatred towards himself amongst the large cast of Mario Characters. He first appeared in the 1985 popular videogame, Super Mario Bros., in which he was responsible for kidnapping Princess Toadstool (more commonly known as Princess Peach), which was released in Arcades and on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Videogame System.
Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog Franchise)
Shadow the Hedgehog is a character who appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series released by Sega. He is an artificially created black and red hedgehog whose hover shoes propel him at extreme speeds that rival those of Sonic.
Solid Snake (Metal Gear Series)
Solid Snake is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the video game series Metal Gear by Hideo Kojima. He is a legendary soldier cloned from Big Boss’s DNA, who is sent to infiltrate and investigate the titular weapons in an effort to stop a potential war.
Samus Aran (Metroid)
Samus Aran is the protagonist of the science fiction action-adventure game series Metroid by Nintendo. A galactic bounty hunter, Samus is usually equipped with her Power Suit, giving her access to weapons she uses to battle her enemies.
John Marston (Red Dead Redemption)
John Marston is a central character and the main protagonist of Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare. He is portrayed by Rob Wiethoff.
