Super Mario RPG: Every Playable Character, Ranked

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was the first game that took the famous plumber into the RPG genre. It was unsurprisingly a hit on the SNES thanks to Square Enix (called Squaresoft at the time) taking the development reigns. Despite the praise and sales, this was the only RPG game they made starring Mario. The other games are all spiritual sequels to the groundwork that Square Enix started.

History aside, the game is back with a simpler title now: Super Mario RPG. Players can control Mario along with four other characters: Bowser, Geno, Mallow, and Princess Peach. Here’s how all five characters rank, based on usefulness in battle and how they fare in the story. There will be spoilers.

5 Mario

The Jumping Plumber

Mario is naturally the first playable character that will unlock. Like most Mario games around this time on the SNES, he is a blank slate for the player. He doesn’t have much of a personality, as he cannot talk. This changes in the spiritual sequels, as both he and Luigi babble in fake Italian in the Mario and Luigi RPG portable series. In Super Mario RPG, all he can do is mime things — which does, admittedly, lead to some great comedy.

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However, because of his silence, it’s hard to like him as a character as there is no personal arc to follow. Still, in terms of battle, Mario is the strongest character in the game. It’s to be assumed since, again, his name is in the title. From his jumping attacks to his Fire Flower powers, Mario will make mincemeat out of enemies.

4 Princess Peach

Beware Her Frying Pan

Princess Peach will be the last party member that players can recruit. It might have come as a shock to players in the 90s, because she begins the game as a typical damsel in distress. Other than in Super Mario Mario Bros. 2, Princess Peach was never a playable character. So, her showing up to put up a fight in Super Mario RPG was a great surprise.

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Like Mario, though, she doesn’t have much of an arc. It’s almost like the developers weren’t given the go-ahead to do that much with her There are some funny moments though. For example, if players try to examine her dresser in the Mushroom Kingdom, she’ll chew Mario out as if he is looking at her underwear. As for her battle skills, Princess Peach is mostly a healing type character, which is useful. However, her final attack, Psych Bomb, is one of the strongest in the game. Clearly, she can pack a punch when she needs to.

3 Mallow

He’s a Frog?

Mallow is the first character that will join Mario on his quest. He is also one of the two playable characters that Square Enix created in the 90s just for this game. He looks like a piece of cauliflower wearing clown pants, but there is a reason for that. Mallow is actually part of a cloud-like kingdom, but that is a late-game revelation. Otherwise, Mallow thinks he is a tadpole since he was raised by a frog. Besides pointing out how strange that is, most characters think Mallow is a crybaby. He does tend to cry a lot, but not in an annoying way.

Mallow wants to do good by his grandfather and earnestly enjoys helping people. He is also a healer, although that is his secondary position. Mallow can best fit into the Black Mage category in terms of Final Fantasy games. His spells know no bounds, and they can be great for attacking multiple enemies at once. While hard to control, one of his later attacks, Star Rain, will bring the house down metaphorically.

2 Geno

A Puppet Guardian Of Wishes

Geno is the other character that Square Enix created for this RPG adventure. Technically, Geno is not his name, as he introduces himself to Mario and Mallow with a bunch of unpronounceable characters. To keep things simple, he asks them to refer to him simply as Geno. He is a celestial being who came down from the heavens to investigate the disappearance of the seven legendary stars that help keep wishes alive. Geno possessed the body of a puppet to accomplish his goals.

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Geno can come across as a bit robotic, but that’s because he is stylized as a fish-out-of-water archetype. His lack of “human” knowledge leads to some great bits in Super Mario RPG. Geno is a top-tier attacker with a lot of great spells, ranging from his initial Geno Beam to his Geno Whirl. His overall design is just cool to behold, and there is a reason why fans wanted him in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

1 Bowser

The King Of All Koopas

Bowser will be the fourth obtainable character. This is where Bowser’s true personality was first showcased. In the games leading up to this, Bowser was just a villain with no emotion. Super Mario RPG showed a more vulnerable, even pathetic side to him. He was so used to being number one that being tossed out of his castle by the Smithy gang really threw Bowser off. Beneath all of those scales is a heart of gold.

Without this game, that wild wedding scene in Super Mario Odyssey probably would never have happened. So, once again, fans have Square Enix to thank for this personality twist. As for his battle prowess, Bowser has a high physical attack. But unfortunately, he doesn’t have a lot of useful special moves. Most inflict status damage, and a lot of enemies are immune to things like poison. Bowser is very much the opposite of Mario in this game. What Bowser lacks in powerful abilities, he makes up for with personality.