Nintendo has a huge range of characters, from plumbers to outer space bounty hunters. But no one ever really stopped to think of who the strongest of them all is. Unless if you count Super Smash Bros. series and the random forums on the internet. Because we don't. That's why this article is called Officially Ranked. We are so official, people won't even believe it.
Whether you want to admit it or not, there is some sort of power hierarchy in the Nintendo realms. Everyone knows that Samus could beat a Mario game no problem and probably never even get a game over. What with the weapons and whatnot. At the same time, Mario might have all sorts of trouble fighting Dracula in the great castle of Castlevania. Chances are that certain heroes wouldn't really be heroes in other worlds. They'd be cannon fodder.
So this list is a long studied and long research list that completely does its best to encompass what these Nintendo power rankings actually are. We may not all agree, or we may not even like Nintendo heroes all that much, but together we can at least take it all in as internet knowledge. After all, what's the point of having the internet if you can't make outrageous claims on it and argue with strangers? It's like the most fun part of computers. Besides video games.
So, these are our official picks for the strongest Nintendo characters. It's gonna get weird.
30 The Small: Diddy Kong
There's a specific reason Diddy is on this list, and it's because Donkey Kong is on this list. Donkey Kong is able to do a whole bunch of devastating stuff to enemies, and in their original games, Diddy was just as powerful and even more agile.
So Diddy deserves to be here for the same reasons as his dad/friend Donkey Kong.
But you should notice how Diddy is at the top of the list. That means everyone else on this list can crush him. So if you're a Diddy superfan, then good luck.
29 Double Trouble: Zelda/Sheik
Zelda is a magical being, and even though she gets taken or into trouble often enough, she always sort of has some hidden power waiting to be unleashed. That means that if Zelda in princess form was at full power, she'd potentially be harnessing god powers.
When she's in Sheik-mode, Zelda can take out people in stealth like the ninja thief that we think Sheik is. Being able to conceal oneself in this way while also having magic powers is enough to get her on this list. She also commands a huge army of soldiers.
28 The Swordsman: Shulk
Single ladies and men, if you're looking for love and can't seem to nail anything down, look no further. Meet Shulk, he's a gray-haired teenager who's obsessed with his sword. But don't let that bring you down, his only job in the world is to save the world and the universe.
Chances are you won't see him too often.
But when you do it'll almost always be annoying since he's probably smarter than you are. Shulk could have potentially been higher on the list, but the rest of the people above him have proved themselves more.
27 The Trainer: Ash Ketchum
So maybe Ash Ketchum is a little brat who just happens to catch cute animals and force them to battle one another.
But you can't help but show respect for the little kid who survived that mega blast from Mew and Mewtwo.
Let's consider Ash is in peak physical condition and all his pals are the strongest possible level they can be. Perhaps they'll protect Ash as he yells commands and demolishes any opponent who stands against him.
26 Bombs Away: Bomberman
What you need to know about Bomberman is that he probably shouldn't be on this list. Unless you consider the version of Bomberman that is immune to bombs and therefore immune to all damage.
There is a version of Bomberman that withstand the greatest explosions in the video game world.
So that would mean that he's pretty durable and his attacks of bombing are effective. We may be wrong about this guy, but who can tell?
25 The Older: Donkey Kong
We talked a bit about this ape earlier when discussing the placement of his son/friend Diddy in spot 30. Donkey Kong has proven himself in multiple games to be a fierce fighter and durable warrior.
He's a beast when he plays soccer, he's a formidable smasher, and he was super great in that movie where he steals the blonde chick and climbs the Empire State Building. No one can deny this tie-wearing ape his respect. Or love. True ape love.
24 Yin And Yang: Kid Icarus/Dark Pit
Most of the people out there are either really familiar with this guy or they've only seen him in the Smash series. Either way, Pit is a hero and his dark version is just as powerful in a way.
But that's a discussion for darkness altogether.
The dark characters in our games who battle the heroes are always meant to be defeated. Yet they are a mirror image. The question is what is the true difference between the original and the shadow version that allows for defeat.
23 The Fast: Sonic
The thing about fighting Sonic is that for you to truly defeat him you're going to have to get rid of all his golden rings. Let's say you're fighting him on his turf and he's got golden rings aplenty.
How are you going to reduce his health to zero if he can quickly zoom across the area and gather more?
He's simply too fast. There are characters out there who could beat him but this is a battle where a game over means no more living time.
22 The Strong: Fulgore
Fulgore is one of the characters on this list who doesn't really have any backstory at all. He's from the fighting game on NES Killer Instinct, a game this writer happens to think is the best fighting game of all time. But back to Fulgore.
He's a robot that basically rips off the Predator alien, but who cares. Look how epic Fulgore is. He has sick martial arts moves, laser beam eyes and some sort of plasma swords on his forearm. This dude is super cool. Just the name is awesome too. FULGORE.
21 The Bad Dream: Mother Brain
Not sure if any of you turkeys know about Mother Brain, but she is a nightmare. She is the super intense organic supercomputer made by the Chozo in the Metroidverse. But when the Space Pirates showed up, she abandoned the Chozo and joined Ridley.
Basically, Mother Brain decided she can wipe out the universe with these pirates way easier than with the Chozo.
She's a psycho. But not only is she super smart and mind controlling, she grows into a giant soft tissue dinosaur that shoots rainbows. It's awesome.
20 Triple Threat: Marth Or Roy Or Ike
These three fellas were made super famous in the United States because of their performance as smashers in the Smash Bros. series. Marth and Roy showed up and stole our hearts. Then Ike showed up and gave our hearts back.
What a beast these three guys ended up being. But any one of them deserves a place on this list and we thought to throw them together since we all know the deal. They're dudes with swords who know how to use them.
19 The Team: Golden Sun Adepts
There's only eight of them. But this works with four of them together in a party because that's how you played Golden Sun. You had four adepts in the party and eventually, they got really strong. Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Sheba, Jenna, Piers, Mia, and Felix.
Pick any of those four at their top level and they are going to be a tough party to bring down. This may not seem like a fair addition to this list, but that's of no concern. These are the playable characters that are used to fighting together. Think Ice Climbers.
18 The Controller: Master Hand
Master Hand may have been an easy boss, but he happens to be something of incredible power. Master Hand is actually us, the players.
We are the one who controls things and we deserve to be on this list in a way that makes a little bit of sense.
Master Hand has some pretty powerful attacks that can move through the air incredibly fast. This is not a hand to be trifled with. Because it's our hand. The hand of justice and fury after a garbage day at work.
17 Powering Up: Mega Man
Mega Man is on this list because of the sheer amount of power-ups he has. If Mega Man was at his full power in the terms of all the games and could access all powerups and enemy technology, he'd be a massive force.
It's no doubt that Mega Man is a character that a lot of people couldn't master. He's a complicated heroic character and Mega Man does not mess around. He's on serious missions to save the world of humans as a robot.
16 The Changed: Metal Mario
What are you going to do when this guy comes running for you and you don't have anything to melt him with? You're going to get knocked out and there's nothing you can do about it. That's why the double M is on this list.
For those of you who remember, Metal Mario has been around for a very long time and he was never a good omen. Whether as a bad guy in-game or a powerup, you knew that things were about to get rough when this dude showed up on screen.
15 Healing Himself: Eyedol
Eyedol was a pretty serious enemy in Killer Instinct. His backstory is irrelevant because all that really matters about this guy is that he can mess you up all while healing himself. This double cyclops is no puppy to be petted.
He's a demon from another dimension and he literally needs to be tossed into Lava to be defeated. And even then it's not even certain that he will stay down. He's definitely tougher than Fulgore and that would make you understand why he's here.
14 Whip It: Richter Belmont
No one around here can really doubt the power of the dark evil beings let alone the strength of Dracula. But this guy, Richter Belmont, has defeated him with barely any effort. This is a human worthy of respect and praise.
Belmont has a bunch of attacks and specials he can use on an enemy but his real strength comes from the whip. Whether he hits you with the initial crack or not, you're not going to be able to penetrate his defenses. A skilled Richter is untouchable.
13 The Boss: Bowser
Bowser is one tough dude whether you want to admit it or not. It takes a lot to bring this guy down. Most of the time it happens to be in multiples of three attacks, if you get what I mean. But other than his power, he's smart too.
Bowser not only has some real fighting ability, but he also is a cunning enemy. He sets up entire worlds of enemies who fight for him to stop you from stopping him from stealing the princess. Just take a look at this dude with his ax. That's no joke.
12 Flying High: Fox Or Wolf Or Falco (In Their Ships)
You can't help but think how a member of team Star Fox would handle a battle to the bitter end. Fox would probably start out in his Arwing, transferring to the landmaster when the moment was most opportune.
Utilizing the entire Star Fox fleet's military weaponry only works for a while. But then Fox hops from the cockpit and starts laser beam shooting you and kicking. He throws down his shield and Falco comes in from above with a nuke. You're beat.
11 The Evolved: Mega Mewtwo
When you scroll through the video game character realm of the internet, all sorts of people want to place Mewtwo in the running for most powerful. It's simply not that simple. Mewtwo was created and he can easily be destroyed. By a Master Ball.
But when you throttle up to Mega Mewtwo, things change for the better. This is an already dangerous alien clone that just got way more powerful. Its mega forms are ridiculous and put almost every other Pokémon to shame.