In the original Super Smash Bros. for the N64, Nintendo pitted characters from their most popular franchises against each other to fight and see who was the best. Fighters from Pokemon, The Legend of Zelda, and of course, Super Mario were finally in one game together and could interact and brawl in ways previously unimaginable.
Over two decades since the series' debut, Super Smash Bros. has become one of the most popular fighting games in the industry. Each iteration has added a plethora of new characters to play as and stages to fight on, but it wouldn't be a Super Smash Bros. game without the colorful characters from Super Mario. The Mushroom Kingdom offers some of its best contenders for Ultimate that offer a variety of playstyles amongst them. You may wonder where Yoshi and Wario are, but according to the official website and the game itself, they represent their own series instead of the Super Mario brand.
8 Dr. Mario
Despite years of medical school and service to his community, Dr. Mario has always struggled when it comes to brawling with his companions. First appearing as an unlockable character in Melee, Dr. Mario is a slower yet more powerful version of Mario with a few different attacks and minor stat changes.
Since his appearance in Smash 4, Dr. Mario has consistently been regarded as one of the worst characters in the series. While he can deal more damage than Mario, he is much slower and has one of the weakest recovery moves in the entire roster. Dr. Mario can diagnose pain, but he's not that great at dishing it out.
7 Bowser
If you prefer playing as characters with devastating attack power then Bowser is the perfect fighter for you. He is the heaviest character in the game and can quickly knock out lightweight characters like Pichu and Squirtle if one of his smash attacks lands on them. Despite his size, Bowser is surprisingly fast, and he can outrun characters like Toon Link, Marth, and even Mario.
Bowser's incredible weight makes him one of the toughest characters to knock off the stage, but it also makes returning to it nearly impossible. Many of Bowser's attacks also take a long time to wind up and are often predictable and easy for your opponent to avoid. Bowser has a versatile moveset and superior strength that is most effective on smaller stages without gaps.
6 Piranha Plant
Fans have been demanding for minor characters like Goombas, Koopa Troopas, and even Birdo to make an appearance in Super Smash Bros. for years. When Piranha Plant was announced as the first DLC character for Ultimate, it was a pleasant surprise that also introduced one of the more unique fighters to the roster.
Being a plant with no eyes and massive teeth may sound like a hindrance, but Piranha Plant somehow makes it work with a variety of ranged attacks and lethal projectiles. They also have an excellent array of aerial attacks that can easily combo a lighter character off the stage. Like Bowser, some of Piranha's Plant's strongest moves — Ptooie and Poison Breath — take some time to charge, and can be incredibly easy for your opponent to either dodge or reflect the attack onto you.
5 Bowser Jr.
Bowser Jr. is a tricky little character with an assortment of moves that can leave your opponent dazed and confused. Using a combination of short and long-range attacks, Bowser Jr. can be deadly from any distance as long as he has his handy Junior Clown Car. Also, Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes are the Koopalings, which don't affect how the character plays but is still an excellent inclusion.
One of Bowser Jr.'s unique traits is that he has two separate hitboxes. The thing to keep in mind is that while the Clown Car takes less damage from attacks, Bowser Jr. receives more that the average amount if he is hit directly. Certain moves like Abandon Ship! leave him extremely vulnerable and easy to KO. His mobility and moves can be used to effectively to easily destroy your foes, it's just important to remember to play defensively when playing as the son of Bowser.
4 Rosalina And Luma
Introduced in Smash 4 alongside Bowser Jr., Rosalina & Luma can be one of the toughest characters to master but also incredibly lethal if used correctly. As their name implies, you will be playing as both Rosalina and Luma, but unlike the Ice Climbers, you can separate the two as much as you like. You can have the two on opposite sides of the stage and knock an opponent between them, or knock someone off the stage as Rosalina then spike them downwards as Luma.
Rosalina & Luma may have one of the toughest learning curves in the entire roster, and it doesn't help that she has a large hitbox due to her size. If possible, you should try and have her stay back and play defensively while Luma aggressively stacks damage on your foe. Once they are in enough peril, all it takes is one solid smash attack from the space princess to make them see stars.
3 Luigi
Luigi has participated in every Super Smash Bros. game and has had mostly the same moveset throughout. He has also consistently been one of the funniest characters to play as. Everything from his facial reactions to how he attacks feels authentic to the character that has evolved through the Luigi's Mansion series.
Luigi is capable of knocking out enemies early with a fully charged Green Missile attack, and his Super Jump Punch is much more lethal than Mario's. One of the biggest changes to Luigi in Ultimate is the ability to use the Poltergust's suction shot to grab an opponent from a distance. While Luigi's incredibly slow in the air and can't reflect projectiles like Dr. Mario or Mario, he is still an incredibly fun and surprisingly strong contender in any situation.
2 Mario
It's-a him, Mario! Nintendo's main mascot has always been the most well-rounded fighter in any iteration of Smash Bros., making him the perfect character for new players to try when they start playing Ultimate. His walking speed, power, and weight are average at best, but Mario's speedy attacks make him capable of devastating combos.
It's best to play as Mario on smaller stages to help make pulling off combos easier. He also has a decent variety of ranged attacks as well, including his classic Fireball attack and F.L.U.D.D to help prevent enemies from recovering onto a platform. The main downside to playing as Mario is that every other fighter is either faster or stronger than him. Having average stats makes Mario a solid contender in Ultimate, but he still needs a few power-ups to stand out from the crowd.
1 Princess Peach And Daisy
Princess Peach began defending the reputation of her universe in Melee for the GameCube and has consistently held the crown for best Super Mario character in every version since. Not only has Princess Peach been the best fighter from the Mushroom Kingdom for the last two decades, but she has also been one of the best fighters in every game. Daisy was recently introduced to the series but is essentially the same character with a different aesthetic, so they should be ranked equally.
One of Princess Peach and Daisy's best skills is their ability to float in the air for a short amount of time. You can choose the height they hover at which can be used to mix up your combos with unpredictable new tactics. They are also lethal on the ground, with incredibly powerful smash attacks and the always brutal Peach or Daisy Bomber special. Their floatiness can make it difficult for them to land back safely onto a stage, but they are so great at everything else that it becomes crystal clear why they're the rulers of the Kingdom they come from.