Kevin Afghani in the context of "Nintendo Switch 2"

Mario (/ˈmɑːrioʊ, ˈmærioʊ/ ; Japanese: マリオ) is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the Mario franchise, a recurring character in the Donkey Kong franchise, and the mascot of their owner, the Japanese company Nintendo. Mario is an Italian-American plumber who lives in the Mushroom Kingdom with his younger twin brother, Luigi. Their adventures generally involve rescuing Princess Peach from the villain Bowser while using power-ups that give them different abilities. Mario is distinguished by his large nose and mustache, overalls, red cap, and high-pitched, exaggerated Italian accent.

Mario debuted as the player character of Donkey Kong, a 1981 platform game. Miyamoto created Mario because Nintendo was unable to license Popeye as the protagonist. The graphical limitations of arcade hardware influenced Mario's design, such as his nose, mustache, and overalls, and he was named after Nintendo of America's landlord, Mario Segale. Mario then starred in Mario Bros. (1983). Its 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System sequel, Super Mario Bros., began the successful Super Mario platformer series. Charles Martinet voiced Mario from 1991 to 2023, when he was succeeded by Kevin Afghani.

Luigi (/luˈiːdʒi/ ; Japanese: ルイージ, romanized: Ruīji) is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Part of Nintendo's Mario franchise, he is a kind-hearted, cowardly Italian plumber, and the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario. Like his brother, Luigi's distinctive characteristics include his large nose and mustache, overalls, green hat, and high-pitched, exaggerated Italian accent.

Luigi first appeared in Mario Bros., a 1983 platform game, in which he was originally designed as a palette swap of Mario with a green color scheme; Luigi has since appeared in multiple games and other media throughout the Mario franchise, in which he developed a personality and style of his own. As his role in the Mario franchise progressed, Luigi evolved into a physically distinct character, and became the main protagonist of Mario is Missing! and the Luigi's Mansion series. Charles Martinet voiced Luigi from 1992 to 2023, when he was succeeded by Kevin Afghani.