Retro Mario

"Retro Mario Jumps Forward!"

Retro Mario is an incarnation of Mario inspired by his appearances in 8-bit and 16-bit Super Mario games, spanning from Donkey Kong to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.

He is also a playable character in Nexed.

Real-World History
Mario was originally created for as the protagonist for Donkey Kong, an arcade game created by Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo after plans for a game based off of Popeye fell through. Miyamoto had concieved a "love triangle" within the game's cast, Mario, his love interest Lady (later referred to as Pauline), and the eponymous antagonist, Donkey Kong (later retconned into Cranky Kong, the modern Donkey Kong's grandfather).

Various aspects of Mario's appearance were influenced by the hardware of the system used to create Donkey Kong; He was given a hat and mustache due to the difficulty of animating hair and a mouth, and the color of his blue shirt was in direct contrast with his red overalls in order to make the arms more visible on arcade screens. Originally known as Jumpman, the character was renamed Mario (after American landlord, Mario Segale, who had rented a warehouse to Nintendo) for a Western localization, which would become his name worldwide with the release of Mario Bros. in 1983, which also saw the debut of Mario's brother, Luigi.

After the success of Donkey Kong and Mario Bros., Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka wanted to develop a game for the then-upcoming Nintendo Entertainment System in which the hero traversed through several landscapes. While the main "character" was initially a 16x32 square, Tezuka suggested that Mario take the leading role due to the popularity of his previous games.

With the resulting Super Mario Bros. becoming a massive hit, credited for saving the American video game industry after the crash of 1983, Mario himself became a household name and spawned a large gaming franchise, consisting of platformers, sports titles, RPGs, and other games. He also became Nintendo's prominent face in advertising, and is one of the most recognizable characters in fictional history.

Gameplay Information
"C'mon, you don't need an introduction to this guy - It's Mario! Although, he does look a little more blocky than usual. It seems that this version of the red-clad plumber hails from a different time, calling back to his early years as the Mushroom Kingdom's hero. Don't underestimate him, though; He's still the same daring Mario we know today!

In the world of the Nexus Tournament, Retro Mario's a Cheep Cheep out of water; Being a pixel-based being, he sticks out like a sore thumb among the more third-dimensional fighters in the cast. Despite his shortcomings, though, Retro Mario's ready to teach these new fighters the old-school way of brawling!"

TBA

Moveset

 * Power-Up System: Retro Mario starts each stock in his Super form. However, after taking 100% damage, he will shrink down into his Small form. While small, Retro Mario's mobility increases, but he also becomes lighter and weaker. Some of his moves also change to fit his new status. After shrinking, Retro Mario can regain his Super form with his Level 1 Nexus Attack.
 * Although his default appearance is based on his Super Mario Bros. sprite, Retro Mario's sprite changes when he performs certain moves. These forms match with his current power-up state.

Grounded Attacks
 
 * Jab: Retro Mario throws a quick punch.
 * Dash Attack: Retro Mario performs a baseball slide.
 * Forward Light: Retro Mario throws a kick, referencing how he kicks Koopa shells.
 * Up Light: Retro Mario throws a leaping uppercut.
 * Down Light: Retro Mario throws a straight kick while crouching.
 * Forward Strong: Changing to his sprite from Wrecking Crew, Retro Mario slams a hammer on the ground in front of himself. This is his best kill move.
 * Up Strong: Switching to his sprite from Super Mario World, Retro Mario hits a Flip Block which appears over his head, dealing multiple hits of damage.
 * Down Strong: Changing to his sprite from Super Mario Bros. 3, Retro Mario swings a racoon tail around himself.
 * Counter: Using post-hit invincibility (indicated by his sprite flashing), Retro Mario punches the opponent, sending them forward.
 * Jab: Retro Mario throws a quick punch.
 * Dash Attack: Retro Mario performs a baseball slide.
 * Forward Light: Retro Mario throws a kick, referencing how he kicks Koopa shells.
 * Up Light: Retro Mario throws a leaping uppercut.
 * Down Light: Retro Mario throws a straight kick while crouching.
 * Forward Strong: Changing to his sprite from Donkey Kong Jr., Retro Mario lashes forward with a whip.
 * Up Strong: Switching to his sprite from the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong, Retro Mario performs a backflip kick resembling the Backflip.
 * Down Strong: Changing to his sprite from Mario's Bombs Away, Retro Mario lays down a bomb in front of himself, with the explosion hitting on both sides.
 * Counter: Using post-hit invincibility (indicated by his sprite flashing), Retro Mario punches the opponent, sending them forward.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Air: Switching to his sprite from Mario Bros., Retro Mario flails his arms, resembling his death animation.
 * Forward Air: Retro Mario performs an exaggerated version of his swimming animation from Super Mario Bros..
 * Back Air: Retro Mario throws a dropkick behind himself.
 * Up Air: Switching to his sprite from Super Mario World, Retro Mario throws a backflip kick.
 * Down Air: Switching to his sprite from Super Mario World, Retro Mario performs the Spin Jump, being able to bounce off opponents while spiking those at higher percents.

Grabs / Throws

 * Grab: Switching to his sprite from Super Mario Bros. 2, Retro Mario grabs the opponent and holds them over his head.
 * Pummel: Retro Mario headbutts the opponent from below.
 * Forward Throw: Retro Mario throws the opponent forwards, resembling his throwing animation from Super Mario Bros. 2.
 * Back Throw: Retro Mario turns around before kicking the opponent behind him.
 * Up Throw: Retro Mario performs the Super Jump with the opponent in hand before tossing them upwards. This is his best kill throw.
 * Down Throw: Retro Mario throws the opponent onto the ground. This is his best combo throw.

Special Moves
 

Stage Intro
A Warp Pipe sprouts out of the ground, with Retro Mario leaping out of it.

Taunts

 * Retro Mario raises his arm, resembling a pose in Super Mario Maker.
 * Retro Mario walks in place.
 * Retro Mario turns into his death sprite and performs a short hop upwards.
 * Retro Mario turns into a random sprite and performs a pose.
 * Punch-Out!!: Retro Mario raises his hand as a "KO" speech bubble appears next to him and a boxing bell can be heard.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3: Retro Mario takes the form of a Tanooki statue.
 * Super Mario World: Retro Mario marches in place.
 * NES Open Tournament Golf: Retro Mario swings a club.
 * Yoshi: Retro Mario gives a peace sign while riding on Yoshi.
 * Super Mario Kart: Retro Mario flashes two peace signs as his kart spins around.
 * Mario Clash: Retro Mario poses with his hand extended.
 * Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars: Retro Mario flashes a peace sign.

Victory Animations
Retro Mario's victory theme is the level complete jingle from Super Mario Bros..
 * Retro Mario slides down a flagpole before entering a castle from Super Mario Bros.. After doing so, a firework goes off for every KO Retro Mario got during the match.
 * Retro Mario is seen sleeping in a bed, briefly opening his eyes before falling back asleep. His appearance resembles the ending of Super Mario Bros. 2.
 * Adopting his sprite from Super Mario World, Retro Mario jumps through a goal from Super Mario World, landing with a peace sign.

Colors / Costumes
TBA

Trivia

 * During the development of Retro Mario's moveset, Faz challenged himself to limit references to only Mario appearances before the release of the Nintendo 64 (barring Super Paper Mario).
 * Retro Mario's down strong in Small form was originally his death animation from Mario Bros..

Gameplay-Related

 * If Mario is the last fighter to lose their final stock in a Stamina match, he will be launched upwards a short distance before falling through the bottom of the screen, resembling his death animation in many Super Mario games.