Nintendo Characters Present... Quiz

Answer: Mario

Mario is, if not the most famous, one of the most famous characters in video game history. His first appearance was in the 1981 game "Donkey Kong". Even though he was called Jumpman in that game, he was later renamed Mario. Mario has appeared in hundreds of video games and serves as the titular character for the "Super Mario", "Mario Kart" and "Mario Party" series.

Answer: Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong was in the 1981 game "Donkey Kong", where he served as Mario's opponent. Later he became the protagonist of the "Donkey Kong" and "Donkey Kong Country" series, where he was often accompanied by other characters, such as Diddy and Dixie Kong. Influences for Donkey Kong's character include King Kong and Bluto from the "Popeye" comic.

Answer: Kirby

Kirby is another one of Nintendo's most famous characters. His first appearance was in the 1992 game "Kirby's Dream Land", in which he saved the Dream Land from King Dedede. He is the protagonist of the "Kirby" series, but is also a playable character in the "Super Smash Bros." series.

Answer: Zelda

Princess Zelda is the titular character of "The Legend of Zelda" series. She made her first appearance in "The Legend of Zelda" (1986) video game. Although originally portrayed as a typical damsel in distress, Zelda has had a bigger role in recent games, and has even taken significant part of the action in "The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks" (2009).

She was named after Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Answer: Bowser

Bowser is the leader of the Koopa, an anthropomorphic turtle race. His first appearance was in the video game "Super Mario Bros." (1985), after which he slowly replaced Donkey Kong as Mario's main antagonist. He has appeared in most games of the "Super Mario" series, as well as several "Mario Kart" and "Super Smash Bros." games.

Answer: Luigi

Luigi is the twin brother of Mario. He is taller and thinner than his brother. Luigi first appeared in "Mario Bros." (1983), and after that he accompanied Mario in many games of the "Super Mario" series. Luigi has occasionally featured in some video games as the star, such as "Mario is Missing" (1991) and "Luigi's Mansion" (2001).

Answer: Ganon

Ganondorf Dragmire, simply known as Ganon, is the main villain of "The Legend of Zelda" franchise. His motives vary slightly in each game, but usually they include gathering the full Triforce so he can gain unlimited power and rule over the land of Hyrule. Ganon's appearance also varies, sometimes being humanoid and others being beast-like.

Answer: Samus

Samus Aran is a young blonde woman, who often fights against the Space Pirates, the life-draining Metroids and her nemesis, the dragon-like Ridley. She is the protagonist of the "Metroid" series and her first appearance was in the original "Metroid" game in 1986.

In the "Metroid" games, Samus is usually wearing her armor suit, so when her gender was revealed at the end of the original "Metroid", it came as a surprise to many players because no clue had been given that Samus was a woman!

Answer: Wario

Wario's first appearance was in "Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins" (1992), as Mario's opponent. However, he quickly went on to star in his own series, starting with "Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3" (1994). Wario's name is a portmanteau of 'warui' ('bad' in Japanese) and 'Mario'.

Answer: Link

Link is the protagonist of "The Legend of Zelda" series. He first appeared in "The Legend of Zelda" (1986), along with Zelda and Ganon. Link is usually portrayed as a child or teenager and his age is similar to Zelda's. His arsenal typically consists of a sword, a shield and a bow and arrows, but he has also used many other weapons, including a boomerang, bombs and even magnetic gloves!