Nintendo has been on the market since 1889, it wasn't until 1983 that Nintendo had a go at cartridge-based consoles with the Famicom (Family Computer). Safe to say, the rest is history as the company molded itself into the Nintendo Gaming-Giant we know and love today. Nintendo's fanbase is as jam-packed as ever. A talented few among the sea of gamers have dedicated their time to fan art based on Nintendo!
We're going to be looking at some of the most epic fan-art from artists across the web. Some of these artists are professionals, some are hobbyists. They all find time to sit down and churn out something that catches our eye and ignites gaming-fueled passion from within us. Classic Nintendo characters that helped suppress our boredom over the years are the centerpiece of tonight's list. All of these pieces have been worked hard on. Not only are they reimagined in the artist's interpretation; They also help in highlighting the artist's true love for their Nintendo favorites and showcasing some of their talents.
Pinpointing the Classical Nintendo characters wasn't difficult, they're the characters that most of us imagine of when we think: Nintendo. Cult classics like Link, Mario, and Donkey Kong all make an appearance below as well as Mega Man, Samus Aran, and Banjo! Being able to sit back and admire the love for these characters (not to mention a swarm of others) among the community is heart-warming. I'm very pleased to present this celebratory, Nintendo community list, to you. Let's-A-Go!
30 Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. was released in September 1985. This rendition of the cast from Super Mario comes from Deviant Art's very own Labrenzik. The talented artist has made leaps and bounds to give the Mario franchise an epic blockbuster feel.
If 1993's Super Mario movie had a poster like this. It would've done a lot better!
If you've not already, I'd recommend checking out Labrenzink's gallery. This fantastic artist has a couple of Super Mario based works, but it's their eye-catching art-style visible in every piece that brings them to light in tonight's list. Fantastic artist, breathtaking fan-art. Ten out of ten.
29 Battle For The Tri-Force
Link and Ganon have been foes since the dawn of The Legend Of Zelda (1986). This is a popular, yet highly detailed, epic rendition of Link going against Ganon in a battle for the Tri-Force (Ocarina Of Time). This piece was created by Deviant Art hobbyist mattleese87. The artist is a humongous fan of the series, so much so, they've even created their own table-top D&D Zelda game! First starting the project in 2005, it wasn't until they released the 25th-anniversary stuff and Skyward Sword that they decided to release this piece. Quoting mattleese87: "it was about time to show off my skills again with a revival of this project."
28 Donkey Kong Vs. Mario!
This retro-fueled fan-art was inspired from 1981's, Donkey Kong arcade game. Deviant Artist GaryStorkamp takes the modern character designs and gives them a retro-based backdrop. The combination of classic retro and modern Nintendo clash with each other very well to deliver an epic end-result. Pitting together these two classic rivals in a familiar area was a great call by Gary. One that hits me right in the gaming feels. I feel like this piece had to be. Like it was just begging to be created. Excellent work Gary!
27 Mega Man!
Mega Man first became a notable figure after his first game was released on the Nintendo's Famicom in 1987. Its difficulty was one of the major factors that made Mega Man's games so popular. This piece was created by Deviant Artist: JoshSummana.
Artistic talents are high on Josh's personal skill list.
Realistically reimagining the cult-classic, Mega Man, and painting him in a more modern light. If you told me this was HD artwork from the newest Mega Man game I'd believe you, such talent!
26 Super Princess Peach!
Peach's debut onto the DS scene was hit with mixed reviews. But that didn't stop Victor Estivador from uploading this fantastic fan-art of Nintendo's prized Princess to his Tumblr blog. Although it's unknown if Victor made this fan-art, we can't thank him enough for bringing it to the internet's attention. 2005's Super Princess Peach DS followed Princess Peach on her adventure to save the Mario Bros from Bowser! It's about time you returned that favor Peach!
25 Zelda Conquers The Dark World
Another one of Nintendo's prized Princess' finds herself on the list with this dazzling piece by Deviant Art's Eran Fowler. Starring The Legend Of Zelda's leading lady: Zelda. Inspired by the greats, Fowler goes on to say: "I tried to reference a Frank Frazetta style of painting, but it was a lot harder than it looked. Much respect to a master." The late Frazetta is renowned for being one of the greatest science-fiction and fantasy comic book artists of all time. This promotional piece is part of a larger project called "Zelda Starring Zelda."
24 Waluigi!
The highly popular spin-off character to the Mario series has found himself at the brunt of many jokes. On the other hand, the community loves him for it. Clearly, as this fan-art shows.
"Waluigi seems to be my current temporary artistic obsession" ~ Pirate-Cashoo.
Creator and artist behind this piece, Pirate-Cashoo, has a self-proclaimed obsession with Luigi's devilish double. Not that it's a bad thing when the outcome is art pieces like this. Finally some positive attention for Waluigi! Did you hear that one about replacing "Hallelujah" with "Waluigi?" It really works!
23 Samus Tribute
This piece comes from the bottom of Deviant Artist Wen-JR's heart. First powering her way onto our screens in 1986 with Metroid on the Famicom, she's been a recurring Nintendo classic ever since! it wasn't until the end of the game that players were shocked to find out the protagonist (Samus Aran) was actually a girl. Female roles in video games weren't as big a sellers in those days, so Samus went on to pave the way for other strong female roles. You're welcome, Lara.
22 Realistic Star Fox
Beautifully rendered, this Star Fox-themed piece goes to show we have lots of love for our foxy space captain. First appearing on our T.V's Super Nintendo Entertainment System-powered screens in 1993 with Star Fox (or Starwing in Europe). It's fair to say that Fox didn't become such a hit until Star Fox Adventures on the Nintendo Gamecube. Nevertheless, Profesional Deviant Artist Oscar Romer has gone to back-breaking lengths to polish off his reimagination of Nintendo fan's furry favorite. Well done Oscar!
21 Pokémon Anime Tribute
Collectively scattered throughout this piece are key characters and Pokémon from Ash's adventures across the Pokémon Nation. This beautiful work of art comes to us from the brilliant mind of Jason Wang. A collection of fan favorites and cornerstone cast from the original Anime litter the scene. As well as hitting the most premium expectations of fan-art, Jason also gives his own take on the art style that made Pokémon so popular.
20 Epic Mario
Mario's feeling mega! This high-octane piece comes from Deviant Art's ZipDraw and is actually titled: Epic Mario. Boy oh boy, this piece paints a scene. I'm getting flashbacks of the first time I ever played Super Mario World on the SNES.
Check out those red turtle shell kneepads!
Taking his own unique spin on things, this reimagining of Mario portrays the plump plumber as a macho maniac. Sorry, Bowser, the odds are well and truly against you this time!
19 Yoshi!
Looking hypnotized, our star, Yoshi, makes an appearance. Artstation's Ricardo Chucky uploaded yet another rendition - from his gallery - of Yoshi. Yoshi first appeared in Super Mario World in 1990 and has since appeared in dozens of games, solidifying himself as a Nintendo Classic! Ricardo's rendition of Yoshi has some striking features that make it so epic. Finer details like the spots on Yoshi's skin, the mad look in his eyes, and them freaky teeth, make this reimagination of Yoshi stand out. Excellent work on the textures too Ricardo, what a fantastic piece of fan-art.
18 Eat My Garlic Flavored Fist!
Wario has been around since Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins in 1992. Despite his infamous reputation, he quickly became a fan-favorite and Nintendo classic character. Wario is the "bad version" of Mario and has starred in many games of his own. Deviant Art's JamesmanTheRegenold showed his love of Wario with this like-for-like fan-art that looks like it has a place in an official Nintendo art book. The fan-art is based from Wario's DS adventure, Wario: Master of Disguise.
17 Donkey Kong Vs. King Rajang!
Another epic Donkey Kong Vs. piece delivers a whopping hit in the awe factor. This entry's epic versus battle pits Nintendo classic character, Donkey Kong, against the King Rajang from Monster Hunter.
Hang on tight Diddy, it's going to be a bumpy ride!
Our battle of the apes fan-art is given to us by the creative-eye of Deviant Art's Wyvern Smasher. Wyvern has gone to great lengths to portray these two powerful primates, moments before they make contact with one another. I love epic still-frame fan-inspired moments like this.
16 Banjo-Kazooie
This fabulous rendition of Banjo & Kazooie flying high above Spiral Mountain comes to us from the passionate reserves of Steven-Donegani. The bear and bird first appeared on Nintendo 64 in 1998 with the release of Banjo-Kazooie. Although Banjo is a controversial Nintendo Classic (primarily because developer Rare belongs to Microsoft now), I'd consider him one of the last great classic Nintendo faces - and Kazooie too. This gentle reinterpretation of Kazooie flying high above Spiral Mountain with Banjo beneath her takes my breath away. I really want to play Banjo-Kazooie now!
15 Ganon Fun!
We're celebrating Zelda's biggest, baddest, boss-man - Ganon - in this epic art piece. Titled Ganon FUN, this fan-art was created by Deviant Artist bumbleton and gives insight on his love for the Nintendo classical boss character. He goes on to say in his art's description that Ganon's forms in Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time have been combined into this interpretation of the Zelda boss. He says this is what he'd imagine Ocarina of Time's sword-wielding Ganon to come back as in a modern game.
14 Kirby's Epic Air Fight
What sort of Nintendo classic characters list would be completed without featuring a Kirby piece of art? Kirby first appeared in the Nintendo roster with 1992 GameBoy exclusive Kirby's Dream Land (where he was white, not pink!).
This action-packed reimagination of Kirby has him going toe-to-toe with one of his all-time foes, Dyna Blade.
The fan-art comes from the talented individual called Joel Chan on Deviant Art. In his art's description, he tells people how he'd wanted to do a piece staring Kirby for ages and thanks to his girlfriend for the support.
13 Tom Nook!
3D-modeling is one of the most pain-staking and attention-absorbing modern artforms. I gave it a go in college when I looked at basic 3D software to make components for a game. Because of this, I'm fully aware how much time and dedication must have gone into this model of Animal Crossing's Tom Nook. A recurring character in the Animal Crossing series, this adorable reimagination of the handheld classic character comes to us from Art Station's Alessio Rossi. He also commented on the tools he used that helped bring this model to life: 3DS Max, Vray and Adobe Photoshop.
12 Pika-Power
Electrifying! This epic reimagination of the Pikachu family (Pichu, Pikachu, Raichu) from the Pokémon franchise sends shivers down my spine. Sparks of power fly from this amazing piece of fan-art created by Deviant Art user: Zerochan923600. Their weighty decision to dress the Pika family in Thor-themed armour was a choice that could have made or broken the piece. Personally, it gets my upvote! Awesome piece of fan-art that speaks to "the gamer" (excuse the pun) in me in more ways than one! I get a strong feeling that I want to play any form of MMORPG.
11 Harmony Of Heroes!
This piece "pits" Kid Icarus's protagonist, Pit, against Medussa, the game's antagonist. The artist created this fan-art as part of their Harmony of Heroes album. It comes from the creative talents of Deviant Art's Maiss-Thro. This unsung Nintendo classics' character first appeared in the game Kid Icarus for the Famicom in 1986. He made a reappearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Nintendo Wii and has been a big fan favorite ever since. Everything from the fine lines to the glimmering of the lights shows this art piece off for what it really is, beautiful.