Mario (Smash Bros.)

Mario is an Italian plumber and the main character of the ''Super Mario Brothers. ''Mario has had a lengthy history, with several different activities to keep him busy. From saving Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser, to fighting undead monsters and ghouls alongside his brother Luigi, and saving the galaxy several thousand times.

Mario has been a staple of the Smash Bros. Series ever since his apperarence in the original N64 game. He is a jack of all trades, which makes him perfect for new players but his simplicity means he also has very few glaring weaknesses, making him a surprisingly strong pick in competitive play as well.

Battle vs. Sonic (Smash Bros.) (by Wassboss)
Mario stretches his legs out in the warm afternoon sun, leaning back to keep himself in the shade of a toadstool. His commitments to his smash bros fights leave him little time to himself but today he has no matches scheduled and is spending his time relaxing in the mushroom kingdom. He pushes his hat down over his eyes and dozes off, awakening as he feels something come to rest in his lap. He opens one of his eyes to see a letter and reaches out, tearing open the envelope and pulling out the letter inside.

Dear Mario

''The time has come for us to settle our differences once and for all. I challenge you to a no holds barred, unsanctioned brawl to prove once and for all who really is the best. Meet me at the ancient ruins before the end of the day and I’ll teach you a thing or two about fighting.''

Yours sincerely

An old rival.

Mario looks around, trying to see if he can see the person who delivered the letter but he sees no one. “Who the hell does this guy think he is” Mario thinks, scrunching the letter up in his hand in annoyance. He rises to his feet, stretches his arms and cracks his fingers. He drops the letter by his side and begins walking, leaving the mushroom kingdom behind him as he makes his way to the location the letter specified.

2 hours later

The sun is slowly dipping over the horizon as Mario finally makes it to the outskirts of the ruins, his pace quickening as he spots the crumbling overturned pillars. His mind has been racing the whole journey, trying to figure out who the mysterious challenger could be. Bowser? Wario? Donkey Kong? His mind is distracted by all these possibilities and it takes him a few seconds to spot the lone figure stood in the middle of the ruins. Mario squints into the sun but he can’t quite make out who it is. As he nears the stranger turns his head, alerted by the dull thud of Mario’s footsteps. He turns to face him and Mario now realises who the mysterious challenger is.

Sonic the Hedgehog.

“I almost thought you wouldn’t show up” he says, his mouth curling up into a cocky grin.

“Why do you want to do this?”

“I’ve had enough of the constant whispers and comparisons made by the others. They say I am past my prime, how you’d stayed strong while I’ve wilted away to nothingness, I’m tired of the respect they give you, WHILE I GET NONE” Sonic says, his temper flaring.

“That’s not my fault Sonic and you know that” Mario says, trying to calm him down but Sonic just seems to ignore him.

“The only way I can gain their respect and stop their sly whispers while my back is turned is by beating you in battle.” He stamps his foot on the ground and clenches his fist, the grin gone from his face and replaced with a cold hard stare. He lunges at Mario who takes a step back to avoid the punch and conjures up a fireball into his hand.

“You don’t have to do this” he says but Sonic lunges forward again and Mario is forced to throw his fireball at him, causing him to drop to the floor to beat out the flames. He curls up into a ball and raises himself into the air, plunging down to knock Mario onto his rear. Sonic lands and swings his fist round, smacking Mario in the face as he rises up. The power behind the blow knocks Mario into the air but he twists gracefully to land on his feet, lunging forward to punch Sonic into the ground with a meteor smash. He then shoots several fireballs at the downed hedgehog but he scrambles to hit feet and manages to dodge them. Sonic then curls up into a ball and charges up his spin attack before firing himself forward, catching Mario off guard and forcing the plumber to block the attack.

Sonic then leaps out of his ball and past Mario, swinging his leg out. Mario is quick to react and grabs the outstretched leg, pulling down sharply and slamming Sonic into the floor. He then uppercuts Sonic into the air, rising with him and delivering a few sharp strikes to his opponent’s stomach, before meteor smashing him down into the ground. Sonic picks himself up, just in time to twist his body away from a fireball. He then fires off a series of quick jabs forcing Mario back and not giving him time to react. He notices Mario reach for something and the next thing he knows he’s spun around and is now punching at nothing. Mario punches Sonic in the back of the head twice before kicking him in the spine, knocking him flat on his face.

Sonic rises to his feet slowly, his eyes blazing with anger. He gets down into a runners stance and speeds off, leaving Mario in his wake. Mario turns to leave, assuming the battle to be over, when he is struck hard in the side. The momentum carries him up into the air and he is kicked twice in the back. He falls with a hard thud and rises to his feet, only to find his adversary gone. He is hit again, this time from behind, but he manages to keep his composure and dodges a drop kick. He attempts a powerful smash but he finds himself punching at nothing. He raises his fists warily, looking around nervously to try and figure out which way his adversary is going to come from. He hears the sound of quickening footsteps and he jumps to the side, just about managing to avoid Sonic as he whistles past him. Sonic carries on running before wheeling round and charging head on at Mario, who stands in a boxer’s stance. Mario readies himself by gathering fire into his hands ready to smash Sonic when he comes into range. He launches the smash but at the last moment Sonic pulls out a spring and leaps off it into the air, avoiding the smash entirely. He then shoots downwards with a powerful kick and lands squarely on Mario’s head, meteor smashing him into the ground. He is stunned by the move and Sonic moves in to try and finish him off when suddenly the two are bathed in a multicoloured glow. Sonic turns his head and Mario shakes his head to clear the grogginess, looking up in awe at the light.

Smash Ball.

Sonic grins at Mario and turns to run but he appears to catch his leg on something and looks down to find Mario latched onto his leg. He tries to shake him off before driving kick after kick into the plumbers face but he holds strong and twists Sonic’s leg, pulling him to the ground. He then rains down blows but the blue hedgehog holds his arms up to block them, tensing himself to absorb the blows. He sees his opportunity and as he dodges a blow to the face he grabs Mario by the shoulders and flips them both into the air, throwing Mario down below him and landing on top of him. Mario groans in pain and Sonic gets to his feet, wagging his finger at Mario. He then speeds off towards the smash ball, hoping to finally finish the fight. Mario stumbles unsteadily to his feet, swaying slightly before coming to his senses. He takes off after Sonic but he knows full well he’s not going to catch him. Sonic jumps at the smash ball and slams his fist into it, knocking it away but not actually breaking it. He then tries to do an overhead scissor kick but he only grazes the bottom and sends it spinning back towards Mario, landing awkwardly as he does. Mario sees his chance and pulls out F.L.U.U.D just as Sonic breaks into a sprint towards the smash ball. Having charged up his contraption sufficiently Mario sprays water onto the ground around the area in front of him. Sonic charges right into it and he loses traction of the slippery ground, spinning out of control and skidding across the floor. Mario leaps forward and jumps onto Sonic’s head, leaping off it and straight at the smash ball. He swings his fist forward in an arch and connects well with the ball and it breaks on contact and he is bathed in a bright yellow glow. He lands on his feet and swivels around, finding his adversary standing a few feet away, looking on in awe.

“It’s over” Mario says, his voice calm and ominous. “I’m giving you the chance to leave now. I don’t want to use this on you and I’m willing to let you walk away on the condition that you put aside your pride and promise that this will never happen again.” Sonic looks down at the ground for a few seconds before swallowing hard and raising his gaze to look Mario straight in the eyes.

“I can’t”

Sonic sprints forward suddenly but Mario is well prepared and he activates his final smash, letting forth a powerful tornado of flames. The attack hits Sonic full on and pushes him back, the flames doing massive damage. After a few seconds the tornado disappears, leaving Sonic’s battered and bruised body behind. Mario walks over to his old competitor and places his ear on his chest, feeling it rise and lower and hearing the heartbeat within. He then bends down and lifts Sonic up, placing him onto his shoulders. Mario then trudges off to try and find a medic, carrying the limp body of his rival with him.

Winer: Mario

Expert's Opinion
In the end the voters decided that Mario was simply the better all-round fighter and his versatility made him good in all areas. Sonic is more of a hit and run fighter, relying on his speed to overcome his opponent and once the battle became up close and personal he couldn't match Mario's superior strength or better blend of standard and smash attacks. He could also distract and disrupt with the F.L.U.U.D and Cape and his Fireballs allowed him to chip away damage from a distance before getting into a close range scrap.

To see the original battle, weapons and votes, click here.