The internet practically melted down when Nintendo dropped that cryptic 2023 press release about Charles Martinet. You know the one. It said the man who defined our childhoods was stepping away to become a "Mario Ambassador," a title that sounds fancy but mostly just meant he wasn’t the guy behind the "Wahoo!" anymore. For months, the gaming world was a mess of theories. Was it Chris Pratt? Was it AI? Then, on October 13, 2023, a relatively unknown voice actor named Kevin Afghani posted on X (formerly Twitter) and changed everything.
"Incredibly proud to have voiced Mario and Luigi in Super Mario Bros. Wonder," he wrote. Just like that, the mystery was over. Kevin Afghani Mario announced as the new face—well, voice—of the biggest franchise in history.
It's been a few years now, and as we look back from 2026, the transition feels a lot smoother than anyone predicted. But the road here was weird. It was full of dataminers, secret auditions, and a bizarre rumor about Nintendo Directs that just won't die.
The Mystery of the Flower Kingdom
When the first trailer for Super Mario Bros. Wonder debuted, something felt... off. Not bad, just different. Mario’s "Wahoo" had a slightly higher pitch. His grunts sounded a bit younger. Fans spent weeks analyzing audio clips like they were the Zapruder film. Nintendo, being Nintendo, stayed silent. They didn't even put the voice actors' names in the game's credits for the demo.
They wanted us to focus on the game. Honestly, it worked. But the silence created a vacuum.
People started digging. Dataminers eventually found a list of names in the game files, and Kevin Afghani's name was right there. Shortly after, Nintendo confirmed it through Variety and other outlets. Afghani wasn't a Hollywood heavyweight. He was a guy who had done work in Genshin Impact as Arnold and some Nintendo Switch commercials. He was a fan. A huge one.
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Why Not Charles Martinet?
This is the part that still stings for some. Martinet had been the voice since the mid-90s. Why change? Nintendo never gave a specific reason, but it's pretty clear they wanted someone who could carry the torch for the next thirty years. Martinet is a legend, but the physical toll of doing those high-pitched "Yippees" at age 70 is no joke.
Afghani brings a fresh energy. He’s not trying to reinvent the wheel. He’s doing a "Martinet-inspired" Mario, but with his own slight twist. In a recent 2026 interview with USA Today, Afghani was incredibly humble about it. He basically said Charles is Mario, and he’s just the lucky guy getting to look after the character for a while.
The List of Games: More Than Just Mario
If you think Afghani just does the red and green brothers, you're missing half the story. Nintendo clearly trusts this guy. Since the Kevin Afghani Mario announced era began, his resume has exploded. He’s not just the plumber; he’s the whole Mushroom Kingdom.
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023): This was the debut. The world's introduction to the new pipes.
- WarioWare: Move It! (2023): This was the big surprise. He took over Wario too. His Wario is a bit more gravelly, and while some fans found it jarring at first, it's grown on people.
- Super Mario Party Jamboree (2024): Here, he added Waluigi to his belt. That’s four major characters.
- Mario & Luigi: Brothership (2024): This was the real test because these games involve a lot of "Italian" gibberish and emotional range. He nailed it.
- Mario Kart World (2025): The big launch for the Nintendo Switch 2. You can hear him as Baby Mario and Baby Luigi here as well.
- Mario Tennis Fever (Coming Feb 2026): We already know he's voicing the main cast here too.
It’s a massive workload. Most people don't realize how much variety is required to make Wario sound distinct from Waluigi when the same guy is doing both. It’s impressive.
Debunking the Nintendo Direct Rumor
There is one thing that drives Kevin Afghani crazy. Seriously. For years, a theory circulated on Reddit and ResetEra that he was the "announcer guy" for Nintendo Directs. You know, the enthusiastic voice that says, "Coming this Winter!"
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In early 2026, he finally put this to bed. He told GamesRadar that he never worked for Nintendo before being cast as Mario. Period. He didn't narrate the Directs. He wasn't a secret employee. He was just a guy who went to an audition and won the lottery. The internet just loves a good "hidden in plain sight" narrative, even when it’s completely wrong.
What Fans Actually Think
The reception hasn't been 100% perfect. How could it be? You're replacing a guy who is basically a god in the gaming community. On Reddit, you still see threads comparing his "Wahoo" to Martinet's.
Some people think his Mario sounds a bit too much like Mickey Mouse. Others argue that his Luigi is actually better than the original because it sounds more like the early GameCube era. It’s all subjective. But the consensus is that he’s doing a "fine" job, and in the world of recasting iconic roles, "fine" is actually a massive victory. If he was terrible, we'd still be hearing about it every day. Instead, most kids playing Mario Kart World today probably don't even know there was a change.
The Audition Process
We don't know much about the secret auditions, but we do know Nintendo was looking for "Nintendo DNA." They wanted someone who projected a friendly image and had a clean slate. No controversies. No baggage. Afghani fits that perfectly. He’s a guy who used to dress up as Mario for his high school prom. You can't get more "on brand" than that.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you're following the career of Kevin Afghani or just interested in the world of voice acting, here is how things are looking moving forward.
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1. Don't expect a Martinet return. Charles is enjoying his role as an ambassador. He gets to travel the world, meet fans, and not have to scream in a recording booth for eight hours. He’s happy. Let him be happy.
2. Watch for his work outside of Nintendo. Afghani is starting to branch out. He showed up in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Rivals of Aether II. He’s not just "the Mario guy." He’s a working actor with serious range.
3. Pay attention to the Switch 2 updates. As we get deeper into 2026, more titles are being "enhanced" for the new hardware. Listen to the audio quality. With the better sound chips in the new console, Afghani's performance is actually much clearer than it was in the initial Wonder release.
4. Meet him if you can.
He’s started doing the convention circuit. He’s appearing at Charlie's ComicCon in Florida this month (January 2026). If you want to know what the future of Nintendo sounds like, go hear him speak in person. He’s famously nice to fans.
The era of Kevin Afghani Mario is no longer a "new" thing. It’s just the way it is. He’s proven he can handle the weight of the mustache, and honestly, the Mushroom Kingdom is in pretty good hands. If you haven't checked out his work in Mario & Luigi: Brothership yet, do it. It’s probably the best example of why Nintendo picked him in the first place.