A Guide to Super Mario Bros. 2/Characters

File:SMB2 NES US character selection screen.png

NES character selection screen

Mario, Luigi, the Princess, and Toad have teamed up to face a challenging adventure. You have your choice of four characters in Super Mario Bros. 2, each with distinct strengths and weaknesses. Get to know them well. You'll need all of their skills to get you through the challenges.

At the start of every level and whenever you die, you must select which character to play as. If you have trouble with an area, try using a different character.

Stats

Each character has three stats: jump (height), speed, and strength. Stats are rated on a five point scale:

• Jump: how high a character can jump if standing still and the A button is held until they reach the peak of the jump. Note that Princess Peach's jump ability has the best utility of the group, with the added ability of temporarily floating after a jump.
• Strength: the speed at which a character can pick up a heavy item. Small items such as sprouts are picked up quickly by everybody.
• Speed: how fast a character can run while holding an item. All characters have the same running speed without an item.

File:SMB2 portrait mario.png Mario

File:SMB2 NES Mario.png

File:SMB2 SNES Mario.png

Strength: ◆◆◆◆◇ - Speed: ◆◆◆◆◇ - Jump: ◆◆◆◆◇
Mario, Imajin in Doki Doki Panic, is the most well-rounded of the bunch, possessing above-average Strength, Jumping and Speed ratings. He loses a little of his jumping ability when he carries an item. He is a good choice for beginners, although some may prefer the Princess instead.

• Imajin's sprite from Doki Doki Panic.
  Imajin's sprite from Doki Doki Panic.
• Imajin's sprite, enhanced.
  Imajin's sprite, enhanced.

File:SMB2 portrait luigi.png Luigi

File:SMB2 NES Luigi.png

File:SMB2 SNES Luigi.png

Strength: ◆◆◆◇◇ - Speed: ◆◆◆◇◇ - Jump: ◆◆◆◆◆
You'll really get a jump on the action when you play with Luigi (or Mama in Doki Doki Panic). Mario's tall, slim brother has springs for legs and a few tricks of his own.

Luigi can jump higher and farther than any other character, but watch out because he can make you jumpy too. Sometimes he gets out of control and jumps too high or too far! Some items are reachable only with Luigi. However, his jump greatly weakens if he has to carry an item. His running ability is mediocre.

• Mama's sprite from Doki Doki Panic.
  Mama's sprite from Doki Doki Panic.
• Mama's sprite, enhanced.
  Mama's sprite, enhanced.

File:SMB2 portrait toad.png Toad

File:SMB2 NES Toad.png

File:SMB2 SNES Toad.png

Strength: ◆◆◆◆◆ - Speed: ◆◆◆◆◆ - Jump: ◆◆◇◇◇

Toad (Papa in Doki Doki Panic), the Princess' retainer, has the highest strength and running speed, but the worst jumping ability. With the highest strength, he can pick up and throw enemies to protect himself from nearby danger. As the fastest character, he is the best at evading Phanto. Unfortunately, he jumps like a broken pogo stick and will have difficulty reaching secrets and platforms up high, heavily relying on the charged jump.

• Papa's sprite from Doki Doki Panic.
  Papa's sprite from Doki Doki Panic.
• Papa's sprite, enhanced.
  Papa's sprite, enhanced.

File:SMB2 portrait princess.png The Princess

File:SMB2 NES Princess.png

File:SMB2 SNES Princess.png

Strength: ◆◆◇◇◇ - Speed: ◆◆◇◇◇ - Jump: ◆◆◆◇◇
For the first time, Princess Toadstool (Peach in the GBA version and Lina in Doki Doki Panic) is playing more than a waiting game. The fair Princess Toadstool has come back strong as a major partner in this adventure.

She is the weakest of the bunch in all general stats. However, the pink-clad princess has the unique ability of being able to float in the air for a short period of time if you hold the jump button. This allows her to bypass some of the more risky jumps in the game that require you to stand on moving platforms over treacherous gaps. It also allows her to correct jumps that would normally be fatal.

• Lina's sprite from Doki Doki Panic.
  Lina's sprite from Doki Doki Panic.
• Lina's sprite, enhanced.
  Lina's sprite, enhanced.

Technical details

Attribute		Mario	Luigi	Toad	Princess Peach
Special ability (?)		N/A	Lasts longer near the peak of jump (floaty).	N/A	Can hover in mid-air.
Speed	Walking	m	l	t	p
	Running	m	l	t	p
Stopping speed	Walking	m	l	t	p
	Running	m	l	t	p
Maximum jump height	Standing	m	l	t	p
	Moving	m	l	t	p
Air time while jumping (potential replacement from "Special ability" entry)	Min	m	l	t	p
	Min walking	m	l	t	p
	Min running	m	l	t	p
	Max	m	l	t	p
	Max walking	m	l	t	p
	Max running	m	l	t	p
Pickup speed	Light	m	l	t	p
	Medium	m	l	t	p
	Heavy	m	l	t	p
↔ hitbox	Small	m	l	t	p
	Tall	m	l	t	p
↕ hitbox	Small	m	l	t	p
	Tall	m	l	t	p