He is the most boring character in the game. That is what people say, anyway. If you hop onto a Discord server or scroll through a Reddit thread about the best fighters in the roster, Mario in Super Smash Bros often gets labeled as the "tutorial guy." He's the guy you play for five minutes to learn how to jump before switching to someone with a giant sword or a laser gun. But honestly? That reputation is kinda garbage.
Mario is actually a monster.
Since the original 1999 N64 release, he’s been the literal foundation of the series. Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of the franchise, has often mentioned that Mario is the "balance point." Every other character's weight, speed, and power is measured against him. If a character is faster than Mario, they’re "fast." If they hit harder, they’re "heavy." He is the yardstick. But being the yardstick doesn't mean he's simple. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario is a high-octane combo machine that requires better hands than half the roster.
The Evolution of the Plumber’s Kit
When you look back at the early days, Mario was basically just "Mario." He punched, he kicked, and he threw fireballs. Simple. But as the series evolved into Melee, Brawl, and eventually Ultimate, his kit became a weird, beautiful mix of classic platforming references and genuinely oppressive fighting game mechanics.
Take the Cape (Side-B). In Super Mario World, it was for flying. In Smash? It’s a tool of psychological warfare. You can reflect a Samus charge shot or a Ness recovery, completely flipping their momentum and sending them plummeting to their death. It’s one of those moves that makes your opponent want to throw their controller across the room. Then you’ve got the F.L.U.D.D. from Super Mario Sunshine. When it was first added in Brawl, people hated it. They missed the old Mario Tornado. But over time, the competitive community realized that a high-pressure water nozzle is the ultimate "get off me" tool. It doesn't deal damage, but it ruins recoveries. It pushes people just far enough away that they can't grab the ledge. It’s disrespectful. It’s effective.
And we have to talk about the Forward Air. The "Funny Move."
If you’ve spent any time in the Smash community, you know the meme. Mario’s mid-air overhand punch has a meteor smash effect. If you hit it right, the opponent goes straight down. It’s satisfying in a way that’s hard to describe to non-gamers. It feels like hitting a home run in the bottom of the ninth. Professional players like Dark Wizzy or Kurama have turned this move into an art form, baiting opponents into a position where they have no choice but to take the fist.
Why Mario in Super Smash Bros Isn’t Actually for Beginners
You’d think the "all-rounder" would be easy to pick up. He isn't. Not at a high level.
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Mario’s biggest weakness is his range. He’s got stubby little arms. If you’re fighting someone like Sephiroth or Lucina—characters with swords that are twice as long as Mario is tall—you are in for a bad time. You can't just run in. You have to weave. You have to use your movement to bait out a whiffed attack and then punish it instantly.
His combo game is also surprisingly technical. It’s all about the Up-Air. In Ultimate, Mario can "ladder" you. He hits an Up-Air, jumps, hits another, hits another, and suddenly you’re at the top of the screen and he’s finishing you off with an Up-B. It looks cool, but the timing is tight. If you mess up the drift or the fast-fall, the combo drops and you’re left floating there, vulnerable.
- The Fireball: It's not for damage. It’s for "approach." You throw it to force the opponent to shield or jump.
- The Grab: Mario’s back throw is iconic, but his down throw is the real MVP for starting those ladder combos.
- The Weight: He’s a middleweight. This is a double-edged sword. He doesn't die as early as Pikachu, but he doesn't live as long as Bowser. You have to be precise.
A lot of people think they can just pick him up and win. Then they get out-spaced by a Link player or zoned out by a Min Min, and they realize that Mario requires a lot of "neutral" game knowledge. You have to understand the fundamentals of the game better than your opponent does because you don't have any gimmicks to rely on. No comeback mechanics. No "One-Winged Angel" form. Just a plumber and his fists.
The Professional Scene and the Rise of Kurama
For a long time, Mario was seen as a "high tier" but not "top tier" character. Then came the Big House 10.
If you want to see what Mario in Super Smash Bros looks like when played at a theoretical limit, watch Kurama's run at that tournament. He tore through the best players in the world, including Leo and Sparg0. It was a masterclass in aggression. He wasn't playing the "balanced" Mario we see in the trailers; he was playing a terrifying, suffocating version of the character that didn't let anyone breathe.
It changed the conversation. People stopped saying Mario was "just okay" and started realizing he might be one of the most explosive characters in the game. When he gets a opening, he can take 60% or 70% of your health in one go. That’s heavy-hitter damage from a guy who’s barely five feet tall.
The Mental Game of the Plumber
There's a specific "feel" to playing Mario. It's about confidence.
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Because everyone knows what Mario does, you can't really surprise people with his moves. Everyone knows the Cape is coming. Everyone knows he wants the grab. So, the game becomes about "conditioning." You throw out fireballs until they start jumping, then you meet them in the air. You dash in and shield until they start trying to grab you, then you spot-dodge and punish.
It’s honest Smash.
Some people find that boring. They want the flashy teleporting or the magic spells. But there is a purity to Mario. When you win with him, you know you outplayed the other person. You didn't win because of a weird hitbox or a broken projectile. You won because you understood the rhythm of the match better.
Dr. Mario: The Heavier, Slower Brother
We can't talk about Mario without mentioning the Doctor.
In Melee, "Doc" was actually considered better than regular Mario by many. He hit harder and had a better projectile (the pills). But in Ultimate, the gap has widened in the other direction. Dr. Mario is essentially "Mario on hard mode." He hits like a truck—his back air is one of the strongest in the game—but his recovery is pathetic. If you get knocked off stage as Dr. Mario, you might as well start looking at the character select screen.
He’s a fun "buff" version of the character, but he lacks the fluidity that makes regular Mario so dangerous. Most pros stay away from him in serious sets, though he remains a favorite for "disrespect" picks in casual play.
The Verdict on the Red-Hatted Legend
Mario is the soul of Smash. He’s the character that keeps the game grounded.
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If he were too weak, the game would feel floaty and disorganized. If he were too strong, he’d overshadow the newcomers. Nintendo managed to find this "Goldilocks zone" where he is consistently viable but never truly "broken." He’s a testament to good game design. He’s fun for a seven-year-old picking up the game for the first time, and he’s deep enough for a pro player to spend 5,000 hours mastering his frame data.
He isn't just a mascot. He’s a threat.
How to Actually Get Good with Mario
If you’re tired of getting bullied by your friends' DLC characters, here is the actual path to getting better with Mario.
First, stop spamming the Forward Air. Seriously. It’s tempting, but it’s slow. Use your Back Air instead. It’s his best move. It’s fast, it has good reach, and it kills. You should be using it constantly.
Second, learn the "short hop" Fireball. If you can move across the stage while keeping a constant stream of Fireballs going, you control the pace. You force the opponent to react to you. Most players at a mid-level panic when they see projectiles coming, and that’s when you strike.
Third, go into Training Mode and practice the Up-Air strings. Don't just do it on a standing CPU. Set the CPU to "Shuffle" DI (Directional Influence). This forces you to react to where they are moving in the air. If you can follow a CPU's DI and still land four Up-Airs in a row, you’re ready for online play.
Finally, learn to use the Cape for more than just reflecting. Use it to stall your own momentum in the air. If you’re being juggled, a quick Cape can change your timing just enough to make the opponent miss their attack. It’s a defensive tool as much as an offensive one.
Mario in Super Smash Bros is a character of inches. You won't win by having one big move; you'll win by making ten small, correct decisions in a row. It’s stressful, it’s fast, and when it works, it’s the best feeling in the game.
To take your Mario play to the next level, start by studying "VODs" (Video on Demand) of top players. Watch how they use the "Reverse Aerial Rush" (RAR) to land back-airs while moving forward. This is a crucial mechanic for Mario's pressure game. Focus on his "out-of-shield" options; Mario's Up-B is incredibly fast (Frame 3), making it one of the best ways to punish opponents who hit your shield with unsafe moves. Practice your movement until dashing and pivoting feels like second nature, as Mario’s ground speed is his greatest asset for closing the gap against zoners. Once you've mastered these movement fundamentals and can consistently execute his low-percent grab combos, you'll find that Mario isn't just a balanced character—he's a dominant one.