It's hard to find a video game character who has stood the test of time and become as iconic as Mario. Whether he's rescuing Princess Peach, go-kart racing, or just playing tennis, this red-clad plumber has done it all. He's not bad in a fight either, stomping Koopas, Goombas, and even his fellow Nintendo characters.
After decades of saving the Mushroom Kingdom and thwarting Bowser, Mario has taken on a lot of strong enemies and has come out on top. Fans could make the argument that Mario could take on even anime's catalog of strong fighters, though there are just as many who would spell "Game Over" for him, too.
10 COULD: The Power Of Ash's Pikachu Can Be Inconsistent (Pokémon)
Another one of Nintendo's iconic faces, Pokémon's Pikachu has had a lot of adventures, too. In the anime, Ash's Pikachu has traveled all over the Pokémon world and battled any challenger that comes his or Ash's way. However, Pikachu's power level seems to fluctuate a lot, making it hard to tell just how strong he is at any given moment.
Ash's Pikachu has contended with some of the strongest Pokémon from the strongest trainers, and while Z-Moves and Gigantimaxing could keep Mario on his toes, Mario has beaten large opponents like "Fury Bowser" and performed feats that overpower those techniques. Plus, there's all his experience fighting Pikachu in Super Smash Bros.
9 COULDN'T: Luffy's More Resistant To Physical Attacks (One Piece)
Just like Mario, One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy has also gone on all sorts of adventures with dreams of becoming king of the pirates and on his long journey he's fought many fierce foes and come out on top. A fight between these two would be something interesting to see, but Luffy would most likely be the victor.
Luffy's rubber body makes him more resistant to physical attacks, which is the bulk of Mario's move set. With powerups, Mario could stand more of a chance, but they have their limits and with Luffy's gear transformations and Haki, Luffy has a counter for any of them.
8 COULD: Tsukasa Is Tough, But Not Tough Enough To Put Mario Down For Good (Dr. Stone)
Known as the "Strongest Primate High Schooler," Tsukasa Shishio from Dr. Stone can crush solid rock and kill creatures like lions and sharks with his bare hands. Skilled at martial arts and weapon combat, Tsukasa is at the peak of human physicality, to the point where he may seem superhuman, but he might just meet his match in a fight against Mario.
While there's no doubt that Tsukasa is a skilled fighter, he lacks the means to put down someone like Mario who has more means of attack with powerups and beaten enemies that are far beyond human physicality. It'd be a fierce battle, but one that Tsukasa isn't well-equipped for.
7 COULDN'T: Mario Lacks The Means To Hurt Korosensei (Assassination Classroom)
Korosensei from Assassination Classroom is a former assassin-turned-mutant teacher, able to move at Mach 20 speeds and regenerate from nearly any injury, making him even more deadly than he was before. While Mario would likely do his best to put up a fight, he lacks the ability to take advantage of Korosensei's weaknesses as well as the means to hurt him.
On top of being much faster, Mario can't land a hit that would do any meaningful damage to Korosensei without the "anti-sensei" weapons the students of Class 3-E use. On top of that, Korosensei could just assume his "Absolute Defense" form, which Mario has no way around either.
6 COULD: Mario's Stamina Can Outlast Tanjiro's (Demon Slayer)
Between Tanjiro's skill and determination to win, he is one of many capable swordsmen in Demon Slayer. Fighting demons is no easy task for any regular human, yet Tanjiro has been able to fight the likes of the upper and lower moons of the Twelve Kizuki and, in some cases, win. However, as strange as it may sound, he might not stand a chance against Mario.
Tanjiro expends a lot of stamina to perform his greatest feats, and the longer the fight drags out, the more danger he puts himself in. Mario, on the other hand, seems to have the stamina to last between the many times he's saved the Mushroom Kingdom and his sports activities.
5 COULDN'T: Mario Probably Wouldn't Be Able To Even Touch Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)
The difference in power for some anime matchups can be easier to measure than others, though one of the more difficult ones is Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen. On top of having an overwhelming amount of cursed energy, skill with hand-to-hand combat as well as cursed techniques, and years of experience fighting powerful cursed spirits, Gojo's inherited technique "Limitless" makes him practically untouchable.
This technique gives Gojo control over space itself and puts an infinite wall between Gojo and his opponents, making their attacks unable to reach him. While Gojo's not invincible, Mario has never faced anyone with comparable abilities and, as such, wouldn't stand much of a chance in a fight with him.
4 COULD: Deku's A Glass Cannon Who Mario Can Beat (My Hero Academia)
In My Hero Academia, Deku is the ninth inheritor of One For All, and his body is overflowing with strength and even additional quirks on top of it. At max strength, Deku could smash through whole buildings and the biggest and toughest of villains with a single punch; however, using one hundred percent of One For All is more than his body can take.
Mario, on the other hand, regularly jumps high heights, lifts large and heavy opponents, smashes through stone, and survives great falls, and that's before applying powerups. While Deku has maintained some control of his quirk holding back, against Mario, Deku would likely have to use his full strength to keep up, and the damage would eventually catch up to him.
3 COULDN'T: Goku Has Fought Actual Gods (Dragon Ball)
Dragon Ball's Son Goku came from humble beginnings as one of the weaker Saiyans sent out to conquer Earth. Not only did Goku make the planet his adopted homeworld, but through years of training and fighting strong opponents, Goku has shattered his limits and become one of the strongest fighters across the known universes, even able to take on gods capable of destroying whole universes.
Though Mario has faced powerful and near-unstoppable foes (like Dimentio), he hasn't beaten those opponents alone the way Goku has. While Goku would likely have Mario face him at his strongest, Mario at his max strength still wouldn't be enough to overpower Goku in a drawn-out fight.
2 COULD: Boruto's Strength Pales In Comparison To His Dad's (Boruto)
Son of the renowned Seventh Hokage, Naruto, Boruto Uzumaki from Boruto: Naruto Next Generations started out with some powerful techniques that some young ninjas could only dream of. Often called a prodigy, Boruto does have the potential to become an even stronger ninja than his father, though Mario might just have this elite genin beat.
Naruto at his strongest was able to overpower members of the Otsuki Clan, beings powerful enough to manipulate time and space. Meanwhile, Boruto was barely a match for Boro before he got possessed by Momoshiki. Compared to Mario, who survived a Dream Stone-empowered Bowser (who had the power to erase people from existence), Mario could likely take Boruto in a fight.
1 COULDN'T: Saitama Would End Mario With A Single Punch (One-Punch Man)
At this point, it's no secret that One-Punch Man's titular protagonist, Saitama, is overwhelmingly and hilariously invincible. With the least amount of effort, Saitama can obliterate villains, falling meteorites, and even change the weather with a single punch. With an opponent closer to his level, he's been shown to be capable of destroying one of Jupiter's moons, too. Knowing this, there's a good chance that Saitama could destroy the whole world if really wanted to.
While Mario has been able to take on incredibly powerful enemies, none of them have had the impossibly limitless power that Saitama has had. The likelihood of Mario surviving even one punch from Saitama is slim to none.
