Super Mario to change his distinctive voice, Charles Martinet says goodbye after almost 30 years

Although not all voice actors and actresses get the recognition they deserve for the fantastic work they do in our favorite video games, movies, and series, there are some characters who manage to transcend due to the relevance of the works they participate in. And when we talk about Nintendo’s star franchise, more specifically Super Mario 64, one name comes to mind: Charles Martinet.

Martinet is the voice of Mario, and without him, none of us here would perceive the mythical character, perhaps the most charismatic in video game history, in the same way. Nintendo has confirmed this morning through a statement on Twitter (now X) that the actor will stop dubbing the character, so we will no longer hear him say “It’s-A me, Mario!”. This was confirmed by the Japanese company, which also announced that his new role will be that of Mario Ambassador and that he and Shigeru Miyamoto will soon share a video dedicated to the fans.

Mario, Luigi, Waluigi...

Martinet has voiced Mario on countless occasions. In fact, you only have to start counting from the release of Super Mario 64 in 1996. In fact, his work has been recognized with a Guinness World Records award as the person who has voiced a video game the most times. Martinet was not only the voice of Mario, but also Luigi and Waluigi, among other Mushroom Kingdom characters. He even voiced an NPC from Delfino Island in Super Mario Sunshine and Wario on several occasions.

With or without Martinet, what is certain is that the franchise continues, and Nintendo Switch users will receive a new game of the plumber on October 20, the day of the release of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Before finishing these lines, we invite you to press play to once again enjoy one of the most iconic phrases in the history of video games.