The Mario series is filled with many moments that cause lots of laughs. Let's look at some moments that truly define comic relief in the series.
#10
10. Jr Troopa at Toad Town Harbor
So you've beat Lava Piranha and got Misstar after barely escaping a volcano. Chapter Complete! Now it's time to head back to Toad Town, but Jr. Troopa shows up... late. By the time he reached Lavalava Island, Mario has already left! Jr. Troopa, exhausted, follows in pursuit. He gets his wings and a spike, but he gets overwhelmed by his exhaustion from swimming from Toad Town Harbor to Lavalava Island and back. This actually impacts the battle. In the intro, you watch his HP fall from 40 to 20 due to exhaustion before you even start attacking. This plot twist not only eases your time in combat, but also shows you the length he's willing to go to achieve his goal and comedic talent of Nintendo.
The GCN era is known for comic relief, and this moment is one of those GCN moments. These intros from Power Tennis and Toadstool Tour not only show what the games are like, but also throw you into the amount of humor here. They both focus on Wario and Waluigi trying to outshine the Mario Brothers in the titular sport, only to be blown up with the brothers watching in a Bowser-related explosion. The shenanigans they got into were absolutely hilarious and instantly hooked you in. Luigi may have said, "Oh, this look(s) bad" upon the climactic explosion in Power Tennis, but they were certainly brilliant for us to watch.
Bowser's gone from a major villain that poses a threat to a Hong Meiling in the GCN era. This game is no exception. He desperately tries to find Peach and the Crystal Stars, but always misses our by one chapter, even going as far as smashing through obstacles in a Super Bowser Bros style. Along his journey, Bowser parodizes his own arch enemy, steals a poster, scares the blimp attendant, blows himself up, has his dreams crushed by a phony, and expresses his anger because apperently, "Luigi's" better than him(In a room filled with ghosts), all only to get beaten by Mario towards the end. The wit of Bowser's army, Kammy Koopa, and, in a cameo, Luigi himself all added to the fun and kept fans glued to their screens, waiting for more Bowser. These are the kinds of things you reserve spare files for just so you can see them over and over again.
This cutscene continues the trend of butt monkey Luigi in a fighting game. No matter what kind of game it's in, Luigi reacting to the Waddle Dees in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is funny. He is scared of and flinches from cute, innocent creatures that you want to do nothing except hug. This scene leaves you begging for more and I have since become overly attached to the two Waddle Dees. King Dedede's surprise attack and Wario's misfortune of having his cargo stolen only add to the humor.
Playing through Paper Mario, one of the first things I do after beating each boss is check on Luigi and his diary. The witty comments he would say and write in his book range from wonderful stories to admiration of his brother and ambitions; even a "secret wish of his. The arrival of something new from Luigi kept me motivated through the darkest of times. At this time, I'd like to give honorable mentions to the Game Boy Horror(Luigi's Mansion) and Luigi's stories(TTYD), but the main reason his diary was my favorite was because of a single mind-blowing entry that would change Luigi and the players forever: In it, he first describes his fear of ghosts, a trait that still defines him to this day. Also, after you get the Super Boots, you could enter the basement and spy on Luigi writing on his diary.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon has numerous cutscenes that are hilarious to watch which show off Luigi's fear of ghosts and comedic charm. They have tons of surprises to keep the player busy laughing. One of them, messing with the Pixelator, gets special mention. Even as the story of Luigi's Mansion 2: Dark Moon is about to become serious, Luigi still has his trademark charm. At first, he's cautious with Professor E.Gadd's portal. He then semi-boldly thrusts his whole arm through. After realizing it's safe, Luigi sees his arm sticking out the other side and begins to greet it, then making his arm say Hello to him. If it wasn't self-explanatory enoygh, E. Gadd had told Luigi that his inventions, including the portals, aren't toys, yet here we have him playing with it. It's this loving goofball innocence that makes the series as a whole a fan-favorite. I tried to painstakingly pick just one moment from Luigi's Mansion and I'm even surprised I had to place it this low. I guess that just makes the upper four all the more hilarious.
You know what they say: things never go perfect the first time around. But when those failures are downright comical, then you've got a blooper reel worth laughing over. Some of the best highlights include Mario accidentally hitting Luigi in the face with a tennis ball, Wario and Waluigi tripping, and Wario's mom calling him mid-filming. Overall, this collection of fifteen bloopers is pure delight that motivates you to collect all of the trophies just so you can see them again and again.
Mario Kart is one of the most chaotic racing series in gaming history. There are so many things to keep the humor going. Watching someone get blued, shocked, redded, mega'd, and billed to last? Check. Watching the computers be total idiots? Check. Hearing others on Skype getting rage or having an epic moment? Check. Screaming like a mama's boy? Check. Anyone who has played as Luigi in Mario Kart Double Dash, Wii, or 7 on a select few of the courses(i.e. Maple Treeway) will remember that he screams like...well, Luigi(I was going to say five year old girl, but even the infants are braver than him). Still, nothing, and I mean nothing could've prepared me for them the first time around.
No Mario game has ever broken the fourth wall more than TTYD. There are a bunch of fourth-wall breakers, that if you merge all the times the fourth wall was broken into one being you get Cranky Kong with a cap and overalls. Fourth-Wall Breaking is one of the purest forms of humor and to see it done so well is amazing. My personal favorite quote in the entire game is a Fourth-Wall Breaker: "And you there! In front of the TV! You listen up, too!”- Professor Frankly, only to have your partner(Unless it's Goombella) not get the reference. How can you not laugh at the irrelevance?
Well, what could top the rest of these moments? #1
1. Luigi Moments (M&L Series, GCN era), Trohpy Celebrations
Luigi is the king of humor in the Mario series. In the M&L series, he gets in Peach's dress, gets hypnotized by a Magikoopa to think he is Mario, gets called names like "Mr. Green Stache" or "Mr. Other Mario Bro", gets flattened by a block that increases in size by a large heart, came in the castle clumsily, slept during a fight between Mario and Bowser, and has had everything thrown at him to cause funny reactions. In TTYD, he gets some embarrassments like dressing up as a bride and acting as grass in a play. More things that get a mention are the trophy celebrations in Power Tennis. They have Bowser about to be kissed by Birdo, Wario crushing his own trophy, and, of course, Luigi. Mario Power Tennis - All Character Trophy Celebrations The Victory animations in Mario Power Tennis are filled to the brim with jokes; some of them, like Luigi's and Koopa's, deserve honorable mentions on this list, but out of 20 cinematics, there's one that not only stood out above the rest of its kin, but among those in any Mario game ever, even the RPGs. If there has been one event that solidified the popularity of a common species(Other than the Waddle Dees), it's this one right here: Little did Shy Guy know that when he walked up on that podium to claim his trophy in Power Tennis, he would be responsible for the funniest, most hilarious moment I've experienced in gaming history. On the last step, he trips, causing his mask to fall off(Cue dramatic heart-pounding). Of course, it wouldn't be near as gut-busting if someone wasn't there to be traumatized by it, and of course the only person qualified to do so is The Mushroom King of Rubes himself, Luigi. It can be argued that his very presence told us right away something was going to happen. He is shocked by the sight, making a fool of himself yet again by falling in the process, as Shy Guy puts its mask back on. To this day, the question of what's under Shy Guy's mask is still unanswered, with only Luigi knowing the truth. This event may hold practically no significance in either of the characters' future developments, as it has yet to referenced again or in any other "Top Video Game Moments" list, but this underrated cut scene certainly holds a special place in our memories, our funny bones, and our hearts.
