Mario

"Mario Leaps Into Action!"

Mario is the eponymous protagonist of Nintendo's Super Mario franchise (although his debut appearance was Donkey Kong, released four years prior to the original Super Mario Bros.).

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
"From that iconic red hat to the distinct mustache, this plumber-turned-hero is known the world over. When he’s not saving Princess Peach from the clutches of the evil Bowser, he can be found kart-racing, playing sports, practicing medicine, and so much more! Heck, it’d be easier to list what Mario hasn’t done over the years!

While he does enjoy these more leisurely activities, though, Mario also seeks to hone his skills as a hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. As such, when he heard of the Nexus Tournament, he lept into action to take on the bracket’s best. As he would say, "Here we go!""

Mario is a fairly average character, boasting average amounts of speed, weight, and power. Among his strongest attributes is his jump height, which is above average. He also has a variety of tools for any given situation; A reliable projectile, a gap-closer, a simple recovery option, and a reflector. Overall, Mario is a jack-of-all-trades character, being one of the most balanced characters among the cast.

However, this also means that Mario is a "master of none" - While he is balanced, many fighters outclass him in at least one category. This leads to Mario players having to adapt to opponents who can outperform him in crucial areas, such as speed or power. In addition, Mario lacks range aside from his Neutral Special, making it best for him to attack opponents from up-close.

Moveset

 * Wall Jump: Mario can jump off of walls.

Grounded Attacks

 * Jab: Mario throws a quick punch, resembling the first hit of his attack combo in Super Mario 64.
 * Dash Attack: Mario performs the Long Jump, which originated in Super Mario 64.
 * Forward Light: Mario throws a hook punch.
 * Up Light: Mario throws a high kick, resembling the final hit of his attack combo from Super Mario 64.
 * Down Light: Mario throws a straight kick while crouching.
 * Forward Strong: Mario swings a hammer forwards from right to left. The hammer resembles Mario's own from the Mario & Luigi games.
 * Up Strong: Mario performs a spinning uppercut. This is his best kill move.
 * Down Strong: Mario performs the Sweep Kick from Super Mario 64.
 * Counter: Mario uppercuts the opponent.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Air: Mario throws a flying kick.
 * Forward Air: Mario throws an overhand punch, being able to spike opponents.
 * Back Air: Mario throws a dropkick behind himself.
 * Up Air: Mario throws a backflip kick.
 * Down Air: Mario stomps downwards with both feet, being able to spike opponents.

Grabs / Throws

 * Grab: Mario grabs the opponent with one hand.
 * Pummel: Mario headbutts the opponent.
 * Forward Throw: Mario spins the opponent around before throwing them forwards.
 * Back Throw: Mario spins the opponent around before throwing them behind himself. This is his best kill throw.
 * Up Throw: Mario tosses the opponent into the air before uppercutting them.
 * Down Throw: Mario throws the opponent onto the ground. This is his best combo throw.

Stage Intro
A Warp Pipe sprouts out of the ground, with Mario leaping out of it and saying “Let’s-a go!” as it descends back into the earth.

Taunts

 * Mario spins Cappy around himself, resembling a taunt from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
 * Mario leaps upwards with a hearty “Yahoo!”. The pose he makes resembles a common pose for the character, seemingly originating from New Super Mario Bros..
 * Mario spins around and gives the camera a peace sign, referencing his victory animation from Super Mario 64.
 * Mario spins in the air and falls on his back, referencing his death animation from Donkey Kong.

Victory Animations
Mario's victory theme is the level clear theme from Super Mario Bros. as rearranged for the Mario series' victory theme in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
 * Mario slides down a flagpole before leaping off and posing.
 * Mario reenacts the “Shine Get!” animation from Super Mario Sunshine. The item he holds up is randomly chosen; It can be a Power Star, Shine Sprite, or Power Moon.
 * Mario leaps into the air before landing with a strongman pose, resembling a victory animation from the Super Smash Bros. series.

Colors / Costumes
  Mario's Sunshine costume originates from Super Mario Sunshine, where it can be obtained from a vendor after collecting thirty Shine Sprites. The outfit is merely cosmetic, with its only noticeable effect being the slight darkening of the screen. Beyond its debut, the outfit also appears in Super Mario Odyssey as an unlockable costume for Mario, as well as in Mario Kart Tour as one of his many variants.

As an alternate costume for Mario, the Sunshine outfit has a few changes:  Mario's Mario 64 costume originates from Super Mario 64, being based off his model from the game. The model also appears as an unlockable costume for Mario in Super Mario Odyssey.
 * Only Mario's fourth taunt is changed with the Sunshine costume; He adjusts his sunglasses while looking around.
 * With the Sunshine costume equipped, Mario's victory theme is a remix of the Shine Get jingle from Super Mario Sunshine.
 * While none of Mario's victory animations change with the Sunshine costume, a few changes are made to props seen in them.
 * The flag in Mario's first victory animation displays a Shine Sprite on a blue background as opposed to a Bowser symbol on a black background.
 * Mario's second victory animation will always have him display a Shine Sprite.

As an alternate costume for Mario, the Mario 64 outfit has a few changes:
 * Mario's voice lines are replaced with those from Super Mario 64, Charles Martinet's second performance as the character.
 * With the Mario 64 costume equipped, Mario has an unique Level 3 Nexus Attack dubbed Wing Cap Rush. While the method of activating it remains the same as the Rainbow Star Rush (albeit with Mario simply running forwards without the Rainbow Star's effects), the cinematic depicts Mario ramming into the opponent repeatedly with the Wing Cap equipped. The cinematic ends with Mario divebombing into the opponent. However, this is only a cosmetic difference; Mechanically, Wing Cap Rush works identically to Rainbow Star Rush.
 * Two of Mario's taunts are changed when the Mario 64 costume is equipped.
 * Mario's first taunt has wings appear on his hat briefly before fluttering off, referencing the Wing Cap.
 * Mario's fourth taunt has him take off his cap before rubbing his head and putting it back on, resembling his animation after leaving a course in Super Mario 64.
 * With the Mario 64 outfit equipped, Mario's victory theme is the Course Clear fanfare from Super Mario 64.
 * All of Mario's victory animations are altered when the Mario 64 costume is equipped.
 * The flag in Mario's first victory animation displays a Koopa Shell on a yellow background as opposed to a Bowser symbol on a black background, resembling the flags seen during Koopa the Quick's races in Super Mario 64.
 * Mario's second victory animation will always have him display a Power Star. However, the model resembles the one used in Super Mario 64, being exclusive to the Mario 64 costume.
 * Mario's third victory animation is changed entirely, having him fly around the screen with the Wing Cap before landing with a pose.

Trivia

 * Mario was the very first moveset created for Nexed.
 * F.L.U.D.D. was originally planned to be a part of Mario's Sunshine costume, but was scrapped due to making the model too complex.
 * A Virtual Boy-centric color for the Mario 64 costume was planned, but later scrapped.
 * Dr. Mario was originally planned to be a costume for Mario, but later became a full fighter.

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.