Wario

Wario (Japanese: ワリオ, Hepburn: Wario, pronounced [waꜜɾio]; English: /ˈwɑːrioʊ, ˈwær-, ˈwɒr-/) is a character in Nintendo's Mario video game series that was designed as an arch-rival to Mario. Wario first appeared as the main antagonist and final boss in the 1992 Game Boy game Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. His name is a portmanteau of the name Mario and the Japanese word warui (悪い), meaning "bad". Hiroji Kiyotake designed Wario and Charles Martinet voiced the character from 1993 to 2023, as well as other characters in the series, including Mario, Luigi, and Waluigi.

Wario is also the main protagonist and antihero of the Wario Land platformer series and WarioWare party game series. In the former, he is usually portrayed as a greedy treasure hunter who routinely loses the treasure he is ultimately after to others, while the latter follows his exploits as a video game developer. Wario has also appeared in spin-off games in the Mario series, in other Nintendo properties such as in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, and in other media such as the Super Mario Adventures graphic novel. The character has received a generally positive critical reception.