Although this is a topic that is not necessarily related to Mario, it is a pretty common topic that occurred among Mario fans, which is why I posted it on a Mario board instead of a more off-topic board. I am expecting this topic to be Mario-oriented in that case, but if you feel there's merit in this topic being discussed outside the scope of Mario, please do mention it.
The thrust of this topic is that characters that do not have much presence in the Super Mario games (basically the main games), most famously Daisy and Waluigi, are seen as a negative presence in the Mario games because they frequently appear in spin-off games more so compared to the main Super Mario games. In a way, I can get why they think so, and correct me if my hypothesis is incorrect, is that they wanted every character in spin-off games to have some form of relevancy within the main games because it gives them some form of legitimacy when it's essentially their off-time. Moreover, because their appearances in such spin-offs does not afford them enough opportunities for their characters to be explored, some might even question the point of their existence. Keep in mind that I am using Daisy and Waluigi here because unlike many characters associated with spin-offs (including the RPG games), they both have the quality of appearing alongside what many consider the "main cast" and prominently appearing in spin-offs.
One might point at a character's first impression as a point of contention, in which a character's first appearance will determine if a character is well-liked. The best example of a character with a great first impression in recent times has to be Rosalina, whose storybook touched the hearts of many players and became a fan favourite. Characters with useful utility like Yoshi is also subject to a wonderful first impression. Villains could get this treatment, as Donkey Kong and Wario has shown. On the other hand, a damsel-in-distress is typically viewed as a negative attribute, especially one that is basically the same character as a prior one. I am of course referring to Daisy, who started as a damsel-in-distress and is similar to Peach in that purpose. Waluigi is quite notorious mainly because he was created as a tennis partner for Wario, and unlike the human characters that are created for Mario Golf and Mario Tennis, Waluigi managed to ascend from his purpose and become a mainstay in spin-offs, even appearing in the last Mario-based Game & Watch Gallery, and I believe some people took issue with that.
I think it really comes down to how the developers want to use the character as much as how the fans like them. Peach has managed to flourish because the developers and artists has given a lot of scenarios where Peach does useful things despite her purpose of being created, and many will cite the Mario RPGs and the Super Mario Adventures comics where she has great and memorable moments. That's not mentioning giving her a useful float in Super Mario Bros. 2, and because of that, Peach has became one of the main characters. Luigi also got a lot of moments to shine even though he was created to be a palette swap for Mario, and it's cumulated to Luigi's Mansion, a game that explored Luigi's character in greater detail. Since then, Luigi appeared much more frequently with the main exception of Super Mario Sunshine. Bowser could have been a generic villain, but his status as a main villain allowed writers to give him various roles and moments, and personally speaking, my favourite ones are from the cartoons.
As for my stance on characters that are created outside of the main games, well I am one who prefers to like characters than to dislike them, so if you ask me what character I dislike, I would have a harder time answering that question, more so to explain why I dislike them. I am generally fine with characters that are designed outside the main games because after all, they are just characters and anybody's favourite character can come from anywhere. After all, not everybody is born lucky or in favourable conditions so to just view a character from their purpose of creation is in my opinion quite narrow-minded. Any character can become prominent if the developrs allow them to flourish, just like how a person can become valuable even though they may come from a place of unfavourable conditions, and because of this I am happy for people who liked a character, especially the less loved ones.
I apologise if this got quite rambly and veered out of the scope of the topic. So to repeat as per the topic, why is there a negative stigma on characters created outside of the main Super Mario games?
Thank you for reading.
The thrust of this topic is that characters that do not have much presence in the Super Mario games (basically the main games), most famously Daisy and Waluigi, are seen as a negative presence in the Mario games because they frequently appear in spin-off games more so compared to the main Super Mario games. In a way, I can get why they think so, and correct me if my hypothesis is incorrect, is that they wanted every character in spin-off games to have some form of relevancy within the main games because it gives them some form of legitimacy when it's essentially their off-time. Moreover, because their appearances in such spin-offs does not afford them enough opportunities for their characters to be explored, some might even question the point of their existence. Keep in mind that I am using Daisy and Waluigi here because unlike many characters associated with spin-offs (including the RPG games), they both have the quality of appearing alongside what many consider the "main cast" and prominently appearing in spin-offs.
One might point at a character's first impression as a point of contention, in which a character's first appearance will determine if a character is well-liked. The best example of a character with a great first impression in recent times has to be Rosalina, whose storybook touched the hearts of many players and became a fan favourite. Characters with useful utility like Yoshi is also subject to a wonderful first impression. Villains could get this treatment, as Donkey Kong and Wario has shown. On the other hand, a damsel-in-distress is typically viewed as a negative attribute, especially one that is basically the same character as a prior one. I am of course referring to Daisy, who started as a damsel-in-distress and is similar to Peach in that purpose. Waluigi is quite notorious mainly because he was created as a tennis partner for Wario, and unlike the human characters that are created for Mario Golf and Mario Tennis, Waluigi managed to ascend from his purpose and become a mainstay in spin-offs, even appearing in the last Mario-based Game & Watch Gallery, and I believe some people took issue with that.
I think it really comes down to how the developers want to use the character as much as how the fans like them. Peach has managed to flourish because the developers and artists has given a lot of scenarios where Peach does useful things despite her purpose of being created, and many will cite the Mario RPGs and the Super Mario Adventures comics where she has great and memorable moments. That's not mentioning giving her a useful float in Super Mario Bros. 2, and because of that, Peach has became one of the main characters. Luigi also got a lot of moments to shine even though he was created to be a palette swap for Mario, and it's cumulated to Luigi's Mansion, a game that explored Luigi's character in greater detail. Since then, Luigi appeared much more frequently with the main exception of Super Mario Sunshine. Bowser could have been a generic villain, but his status as a main villain allowed writers to give him various roles and moments, and personally speaking, my favourite ones are from the cartoons.
As for my stance on characters that are created outside of the main games, well I am one who prefers to like characters than to dislike them, so if you ask me what character I dislike, I would have a harder time answering that question, more so to explain why I dislike them. I am generally fine with characters that are designed outside the main games because after all, they are just characters and anybody's favourite character can come from anywhere. After all, not everybody is born lucky or in favourable conditions so to just view a character from their purpose of creation is in my opinion quite narrow-minded. Any character can become prominent if the developrs allow them to flourish, just like how a person can become valuable even though they may come from a place of unfavourable conditions, and because of this I am happy for people who liked a character, especially the less loved ones.
I apologise if this got quite rambly and veered out of the scope of the topic. So to repeat as per the topic, why is there a negative stigma on characters created outside of the main Super Mario games?
Thank you for reading.
