November 16, 2024, 11:51 am | Read time: 5 minutes
There is probably no other craftsman in the entire gaming universe who is as popular as the chubby plumber with blue overalls, mustache, and red cap. But after more than 27 years of jumping, collecting coins, and racing, Nintendo has said goodbye to Mario’s iconic voice actor, Charles Martinet. His successor may already be familiar to some gamers.
“It’s-a me, Mario!” If you’ve ever played a Super Mario game, you’ll immediately recognize the good-humored voice of the little plumber. He owes his characteristic way of speaking to US voice actor Charles Martinet – and has done so since 1991. Super Mario 64 was the first pure video game back then in which Martinet was able to let off steam vocally and turn the turtle-hunting hero into the character we know today. However, last year marked the end of an era as Super Mario received a new voice.
An era comes to an end
In interviews, you quickly notice that Charles Martinet is just as funny and energetic as the video game character that made him famous in the industry. Yet, after 27 years of successful collaboration, 2023 marked the conclusion of this chapter.
The reasons for Martinet stepping down as a voice actor remain undisclosed. Nevertheless, it appears that the then 68-year-old was not seeking a leisurely retirement. He has since served as an official Mario ambassador at major Nintendo events. No wonder, because Martinet has not only breathed life and character into Super Mario with his voice but has also held a Guinness World Record since 2019. This is, namely, the most voiceover appearances for the same character. However, it must be admitted that the effort involved in the voiceover was probably limited. This is because Super Mario doesn’t have much to say apart from his typical catchphrases such as “Mamma Mia” and “Let’s-a go”.
Attentive fans had already speculated after the first announcement trailers for the games Super Mario Bros. Wonder and WarioWare: Move It whether Charles Martinet and Mario would be going their separate ways from now on. In the extremely successful animated film The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) had already proven himself as the English voice actor. However, Kevin Afghani has now taken over the role in the games.
Conclusion on Super Mario Day
Born in the USA in 1996, Kevin Afghani has been working as a voice actor since 2018. He has also lent his voice to Mario, his brother Luigi, and their arch-enemy Wario since the end of 2023. He can already be heard in the games Super Mario Bros. Wonder and WarioWare: Move It!, for example.
Afghani’s voice may sound familiar to some, as he has also voiced characters such as Raditz in Dragon Ball R&R, a fan-produced spin-off, Cuphead in the web comedy series Mashed, and Arnold in the English dubbing of Genshin Impact. Kevin Afghani is, therefore, an experienced but relatively new voice actor. He has already appeared in several Nintendo commercials.
After the release of the aforementioned Nintendo games at the end of 2023, it’s time for a conclusion. Upon reviewing Kevin Afghani’s performance in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, one can observe that the new voice is not particularly distinguishable – neither for better nor for worse. Given Mario’s limited vocabulary, this comes as no surprise. Nevertheless, you need exceptionally sharp ears to hear anything different from Charles Martinet. Evidently, Nintendo has strategized to build upon the existing legacy rather than introduce a minor innovation. If you don’t have the game to hand at the moment but would still like to get a brief impression, you can do so with this mini-trailer.
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“It’s-a me” or “Itsumi”?
Mario’s catchphrase “It’s-a me, Mario” – the “a” comes from the Italian accent – has recently sparked another debate. Videos have gone viral on both TikTok and Instagram in recent days in which users claim that Mario is not actually shouting “It’s me, Mario”, but “Itsumi Mario”. The first confusion arises when the reels claim that “itsumi” is Japanese and stands for “super”. After all, Nintendo is a Japanese company. These claims have elicited many responses (stitches) from people who actually speak Japanese. They clarify that “itsumi” is not a real word but a surname that actually means “super” or “superior” in a broader sense.
From this, fans have developed the theory that Mario is actually called Itsumi Mario and shouts the Japanese form of his name, which coincidentally sounds the same as the Italian-influenced “It’s-a me, Mario”. This is based on the Japanese convention of placing surnames before given names. However, this theory, which sounds at least somewhat plausible with a little creativity, has never been confirmed by either Nintendo or voice actor Charles Martinet. And there is no further allusion to a Japanese origin in the rest of Mario’s vocabulary either. Although the debate is currently shaking up social media and causing many incredulous reactions, it is not new. It has flared up repeatedly on Reddit in recent years.
Incidentally, Mario owes his name to the US real estate entrepreneur Mario Seagle, who rented premises to Nintendo in the 1980s. After Seagle once demanded payment of the rent quite loudly, almost spiritedly, the Jumpman character developed at the time was renamed Mario without further ado. Mario’s adversary at the time, Donkey Kong, was later set to music by Charles Martinet. Martinet also lent his voice to the equally popular characters Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and Toadsworth for many years. Kevin Afghani’s repertoire of characters is initially much smaller with Mario and Luigi. However, the potential for expanding his character repertoire remains.