Wario

Wario (English: /ˈwɑːrioʊ, ˈwær-, ˈwɒr-/ ^ⓘ) is a character in Nintendo's Mario franchise that was designed as an archnemesis 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". He is usually portrayed as a selfish and greedy treasure hunter who, in karmic irony, routinely loses his spoils by adventure’s end. Since his debut, he has appeared in the majority of Mario video games. Hiroji Kiyotake designed Wario, and Charles Martinet voiced the character from 1993 to 2023.

Wario is also the main protagonist and antihero of the Wario Land platformer series and the WarioWare party game series. He makes regular appearances as a playable character in Mario spin-offs and other video game series, including Mario Sports games, Mario Kart, Mario Party, in which he is typically paired with the character Waluigi to form a comedy duo that rivals the partnership of Mario and his brother, Luigi. Wario has also been featured in several entries of the fighting game series Super Smash Bros..