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Super Mario 3D World Characters: All Five Playable Characters and Their Skills

Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, and Rosalina each bring a different movement skill to Super Mario 3D World. Compare their abilities, tradeoffs, and unlock status.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Super Mario 3D World has five playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, and Rosalina. Mario is the balanced choice; Luigi jumps higher, Peach can float briefly, Toad runs fastest, and Rosalina can spin-attack enemies. Their differences are useful, but none is best for every course or player.

All five playable characters and what they do

The first four characters are available from the start. Rosalina is unlocked later. Nintendo describes their abilities qualitatively, not with measured speed, jump-height, or float-duration figures.

Character Default skill Tradeoff or practical use
Mario Balanced abilities; an all-rounder. A good starting choice if you want a mix of movement skills without a pronounced speed or control tradeoff.
Luigi Jumps higher than the other characters. He takes longer to slow down and slides more when stopping, so leave extra room to brake.
Princess Peach Can briefly float in midair. She is slower than the others, but the float can help with gaps, careful landings, and avoiding danger.
Toad Has the fastest ground speed. His jump is shorter than his friends’, so speed comes with less jump distance to work with.
Rosalina Can spin to attack enemies and gain a little extra height in the air. She is unlocked after completing the main game, according to Nintendo’s character page.

These are each character’s default abilities. Power-ups can change what a character can do, but they do not change which skill belongs to that character by default.

Which character is best?

There is no universally best character: the useful choice depends on the course and on which movement tradeoffs feel comfortable. Choose by the challenge you want to handle:

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#1 Best Overall
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Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - US Version
  • Enjoy two Mario adventures solo or with friends
  • In Super Mario 3D World, choose a character each with distinct playstyles as you dash and climb through dozens of colorful courses, collecting Green Stars and power-ups along the way
  • Cooperate (and compete) with friends locally or online to reach each stage’s goal. A crown is awarded to the highest-scoring player, making for a friendly frenzy
  • In addition to added multiplayer options, the Nintendo Switch version of the Super Mario 3D World game has been improved with faster character speeds and more
  • Explore a seamless feline world in Lake Lapcat, complete objectives to collect Cat Shines, and defeat a giant Bowser in the new Bowser’s Fury adventure
  • For a balanced feel: Pick Mario.
  • For reaching higher places: Luigi’s higher jump can help, provided you account for his longer stopping distance.
  • For midair correction: Peach’s brief float can make gaps and landings more forgiving.
  • For ground speed: Toad is the fastest, but his shorter jump matters when a course demands distance.
  • For a spin attack: Rosalina adds an attack option as well as a small aerial-height benefit.

These recommendations follow from Nintendo’s descriptions of the abilities; they are not measured performance rankings.

How do you unlock Rosalina?

Nintendo says Rosalina becomes unlockable after completing the main game. Its character page does not give a more detailed condition, so there is no additional stage, collectible, or menu requirement to specify from that source.

Power-ups are separate from character skills

Items grant abilities or forms that are distinct from a character’s default movement. For example, the Super Bell turns a character into Cat form, with scratching, climbing, and pouncing abilities. Nintendo’s manual says Luigi, Peach, and Toad transform in the same way as Mario.

Power-up Effect
Super Bell Cat form, including scratching, climbing, and pouncing.
Fire Flower Lets the character throw fireballs.
Super Leaf Provides a tail attack and brief floating.
Boomerang Flower Provides ranged hits and can retrieve objects.
Double Cherry Creates copies of the character.
Mega Mushroom Makes the character grow temporarily.

Other characters you may encounter

“All characters” can also refer to figures outside the five-person playable roster. These are part of the game, but they are not additional choices for the main course adventure:

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Rank #3
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  • Discover (or rediscover) three of Mario’s most memorable adventures all in one package—available on the Nintendo Switch system
  • Take these three adventures on the go with the Nintendo Switch system’s handheld or tabletop mode
  • Jump into paintings to collect Power Stars and save Princess Peach in the Super Mario 64 game
  • Spray away paint-like goop with the help of your water-spouting friend, FLUDD, in the Super Mario Sunshine game
  • Travel from planet to planet and power up Rosalina’s Comet Observatory in the Super Mario Galaxy game—motion controls and a two-player Co-Star mode included
  • Captain Toad appears in short puzzle stages where the goal is to recover Green Stars.
  • Plessie provides a ride on certain courses.
  • The Sprixie Princesses are characters the heroes must rescue.

Nintendo also lists optional amiibo effects: Cat Mario amiibo can grant White Cat Mario, and Cat Peach amiibo can grant a random power-up. These are amiibo-related effects, not default character skills.

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Which version includes these characters?

The Nintendo Switch release is Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, which includes the Super Mario 3D World adventure and the separate Bowser’s Fury adventure. This character comparison concerns the Super Mario 3D World portion. Nintendo says characters move faster and dash more quickly in the Switch version than in the original; that general version change does not alter the roster comparison above.

Rank #4
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - US Version
  • A variety of playable characters are available, some with unique attributes that affect gameplay and platforming physics.
  • Younger and less-experienced players will love playing as Toadette, who is brand new to both games, and Nabbit, who was formerly only playable in New Super Luigi U. Both characters offer extra assistance during play.
  • Multiplayer sessions are even more fun, frantic, and exciting thanks to entertaining character interactions. Need a boost? Try jumping off a teammate’s head or getting a teammate to throw you.
  • Features a wealth of help features, like a Hints gallery, reference videos, and a Super Guide in New Super Mario Bros. U that can complete levels for you if they’re giving you trouble.
  • Three additional modes—Boost Rush, Challenges, and Coin Battle—mix up gameplay and add replayability, while also upping the difficulty for players who want to try something harder. Players can use their Mii characters in these modes.

Nintendo’s original Wii U page describes local play for up to four people. The Switch page describes up to four players locally and online play subject to a Nintendo Switch Online membership and other conditions.

Quick Recap

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Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - US Version
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - US Version
Enjoy two Mario adventures solo or with friends
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Enjoy two Mario adventures solo or with friends; Take snapshots of your favorite gameplay moments with Snapshot Mode
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Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury for Nintendo Switch, with PremGear Thumb Grips (8 pack - Black, Blue, Red & Clear), 24 Slot Game Card Holder & Cleaning Cloth
  • Included is the following: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Nintendo Switch Game, 8 pack of PremGear 4 different Colors Thumb Grips (Joystick Cap Covers Compatible with Nintendo Switch/Lite/OLED), PremGear 24 Slot Game card Case/Holder with 2 Slot MicroSD Memory Card Adapter and PremGear Quality Cleaning Cloth
  • Enjoy two Mario adventures solo or with friends
  • In Super Mario 3D World, choose a character—each with distinct playstyles—as you dash and climb through dozens of colorful courses, collecting Green Stars and power-ups along the way
  • Cooperate (and compete) with friends locally or online to reach each stage’s goal. A crown is awarded to the highest-scoring player, making for a friendly frenzy
  • In addition to added multiplayer options, the Nintendo Switch version of the Super Mario 3D World game has been improved with faster character speeds and more

Official character and game information

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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