Beginning life as a card game and toy company, theNintendoCompany achieved their massive widespread popularity once they moved into the video game sphere in the late ’70s. Since then, Nintendo has created some of the most beloved and recognizable properties and characters in video game history.Super Mario Bros.,The Legend of Zelda, Metroid,and so many more have become household names throughout the years, entertaining fans with their exciting, action-packed adventures. However, these characters aren’t just limited to their video game worlds; many branching out to star in their own hit television series.
Given the company’s boom in popularity throughout the ’80s with the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System and the ’90s with the Game Boy and SNES, it makes sense that Nintendo sought to capitalize on their fan-favorite characters with animated and live-action television series. The following 10 series released throughout this time period, each featuring at least one of the company’s main characters. Many even include characters from Nintendo’s partners, such as Capcom, whose characters appeared on their systems. These series were cornerstones of many childhoods, bringing these classic games to life in a whole new way.
10Saturday Supercade (1983)
Airing for two seasons in 1983 and ‘84, theSaturday Supercadewas an anthology cartoon series featuring several of Nintendo’s classic characters. Each episode contained four short segments inspired by the company’s early games, such asDonkey Kong, Frogger, QBert, Pitfall,andSpace Ace.Throughout these adventures, Mario and Pauline hunted for an escaped circusgorilla named Donkey Kong; the swamp reporter Frogger went on the hunt for strange stories; the intergalactic champion Space Ace defended the universe from villains; and teenaged QBert and his friends took down the local bullies.
Saturday Supercade Is a Lost Classic
Sadly, time has not been kind toSaturday Supercade.The series is lost in the ether due to issues with its rebroadcasting, meaning fans will be hard-pressed to find any copies to enjoy or stream. That’s a shame considering the absolute bundle of laughs this show was. Expanding on the stories of the arcade and console games released at the time was a brilliant move by the burgeoning video game giant, and framing it like a Hanna-Barbera anthology series was a stroke of genius. In fact, the company that produced it, Ruby-Spears Productions, was founded by the men who createdScooby-Doo,and those influences are clear in the execution.
9The Super Mario Bros. Super Show (1989)
The first of a trilogy of classic television series based on theSuper Mario Bros.games,The Super Mario Bros. Super Showtook several chances with its storytelling. It combined live-action segments with animated adventures, giving fans a new perspective on their favorite plumber brothers. The live-action segments, starring Lou Albano as Mario and Danny Wells as Luigi, was a sitcom following the misadventures of the starring brothers as they tried to keep their plumbing business afloat. After falling down a bath drain into the animated world, however, the pair are tasked with helping the Mushroom Kingdom in defeating the evil King Koopa.
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show Gave Context to the Games
Many fondly remember the animated portions ofThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show,relishing in the chance to expand on the “story” of the games through the comedic adventures of the titular brothers and their allies. The live-action portions, however, are far less cherished. They were played up to the maximum, with the slapstick humor rarely landing with young fans or their parents.
The series was a product of its time, featuring some bizarrely over-the-top performances by Albano and Wells. However, this series did do a number of things right, and it gave Nintendo the building blocks for its more successful series moving forward.
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8The Legend of Zelda (1989)
The Super Mario Bros. Super Showran five days a week, resulting in 65 episodes in its singular season, but while viewers got to watch the titular plumbers’ adventures Monday through Thursday, Fridays gave fans a unique treat with the release of a new episode ofThe Legend of Zelda.The series starred Link and Zelda in new adventures, continuing to battle the forces of Ganon that were ravaging Hyrule.
Battling side-by-side, the two warriors had to overcome a number of challenges, not least of which were Link’s childish demeanor, in each of the series' 13 episodes as Ganon sought to steal the power of the Triforce.
Technically speaking,The Legend of Zeldais a bit of a cheat for this list. Given that it aired as part ofThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show,it really isn’t a series of its own, but given the fondness fans had for it, it really does deserve its own spot here. It isfar from good throughout its run, providing plenty of fodder for memes, but it provided a fun dynamic, especially with the female lead. Yes, Zelda did play the damsel-in-distress on several occasions throughout its 13 episodes, but she otherwise stood as Link’s equal, battling beside him despite his arrogance. This is a nostalgic classic, but don’t expect it to be anything more than a guilty pleasure.
7Captain N: The Game Master (1989)
Captain N: The Game Masterwas a wish fulfillment for its young viewers. After all, who hasn’t dreamed about adventuring alongside their favorite video game heroes? Inspired by a comic strip inNintendo Power,the story follows the adventures of Kevin Keene, an LA teenager who is magically whisked away into a world within his television. Videoland is the home of all of his favorite video game characters, but Mother Brain, the villain ofMetroid,has enacted a coup and taken over the Palace of Power. Now, Kevin and his dog Duke have to team with Megaman, Simon Belmont, and other famous characters to defeat Mother Brain and save the world of games.
Captain N Brought Viewers Into the Worlds of their Favorite Games
Despite the now unfamiliar character designs (looking at you, Simon Belmont),Captain Nwas a daring and fun adventure series that set itself apart from many of Nintendo’s other television projects. It wasn’t an anthology or a slapstick comedy, though it did try its hand at comedy with mixed success. This was a series with a longer through-line adventure, taking inspiration from series likeHe-ManandThundercatsin its structure.
Is the series as groundbreaking or beloved as other classics of the genre? Far from it, but it is a fun, lighthearted adventure that brought together so many \characters in what can only be described as professional fan-fiction.
6King Koopa’s Kool Kartoons (1989)
If the Mario bros. were doing it, than of course, King Koopa had to get in on the game.King Koopa’s Kool Kartoonswas a spin-off series toThe Super Mario Bros. Super Showcentered around the brothers' iconic villain as he hosted his own anthology show. Presenting to a live-studio audience of children (who were presumably kidnapped, a la Princess Peach), the villain saw more live-action screentime as he presented a number of public domain animated series. These were cut in alongside Koopa’s time in his castle, reading fanmail and playing with his pet rat, Ratso. He would then close out the episode by threatening the children to be good.
King Koopa’s Kool Kartoons Was an Extremely Popular Mess
It’s still a mystery why Nintendo thoughtKing Koopa’s Kool Kartoonswas a good idea. Dressing a man in a terrifying monster costume to portrayone of the nastiest villains in video game historyand expecting it not to scare children on a regular basis? It’s beginning to make sense why it saw cancellation after one season, especially since it didn’t even feature any cartoons related to the video games.
While it wasn’t great,The Super Mario Bros. Super Showat least connected to the source material. With that said, it is still a hilarious watch for those interested in Nintendo history, even if it is still undergoing preservation efforts.
Related:Are Comedians as Video Game Villains Here to Stay?
5The Adventures of Super Mario 3 (1990)
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3is a more direct adaptation of the third entry in theMariofranchise, and it made a number of creative decisions that set it apart fromThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show.The biggest was its removal of the live-action segments for an entirely animated experience, while also introducing a more continuous storyline between episodes. The story follows Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach as King Koopa returns to the Mushroom Kingdom, this time bringing his children along to help conquer the realm. Using new powers, the heroes go to work fending off the Koopalings, venturing into the “Real World” on several occasions.
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 Was a Beloved ’90s Gem
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3took a number of giant steps in terms of its quality, and while it still isn’t good by today’s standards, it still made up for the faults of its predecessors. The deeper focus on storytelling helped make the series more coherent without sacrificing the humor of theSuper Show.While some disliked the replacement of Albano and Wells, the overall consensus for the show is one of fond nostalgia.
The animation suffers from several inconsistencies, and the voice acting can feel stilted at times. However, this was a series that helped take the franchise in a new direction, one that would pay off with our next entry.
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4Super Mario World (1991)
King Koopa makes his daring, if not unsurprising, return as the enemy ofSuper Mario World,loosely based on the game of the same name. Featuring the same voice cast asThe Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3and introducing the characters of Yoshi and Oogtar the Caveboy, the series followed the adventures of Mario and his allies as they attempted to thwart King Koopa’s schemes over 13 episodes.
The series lost the continued throughline narrative of its predecessor in favor of episodic antics, largely to coincide with the series' airing alongsideCaptain N,but the introduction of new powers and allies kept the series fresh and exciting.
Super Mario World Was Cancelled Long Before its Time
Super Mario Worldsuffered more from its time of release than anything else. There was great potential in the series, shown in a number of spikes in popularity over recent years, but the Children’s Television Act and NBC’s cancelation of its Saturday morning cartoons effectively neutered this series' impact on pop culture.
However, as a nearly direct continuation ofThe Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3,it certainly drew the attention of its young fan base, and the improvements in its storytelling made its short 13-episode run one of the more memorable in this trilogy ofMariotelevision series.
Related:10 Deep Cut Super Mario Bros. Movie Easter Eggs Only Die Hard Fans Noticed
3Fire Emblem (1996)
Released years before the video games made it to America,Fire Emblemis a two-episode OVA that was likely intended as a pilot for a much longer series before being scrapped. The episodes cover a very small portion ofFire Emblem: The Mystery of the Emblem’splot, following the adventures of young knight Marth as he journeys to reclaim his home. Exiled after a coup enacted by the evil priest Gharnef, Marth fled to the land of Talys and now serves Princess Caeda alongside his former bodyguard Jagen. After helping quell a pirate siege, Marth is inspired to return to his homeland and defeat Gharnef with Caeda and Jagen by his side.
It is a true shame thatFire Emblemnever had the chance to continue its animated story. The games have become a cornerstone of Nintendo’s older market, with the games drawing in players with its dense, politically-charged fantasy narrative. The OVA had so much potential, and while it does suffer from some of the stiff animation of mid-’90s anime, it manages to capture the same wonder that the games would later inspire.
Fans will always have to wonder what could have been, but these two episodes give a great glimpse into the possibilities that this franchise has as an anime. Hopefully, some form of adaptation will come in the future.
2Donkey Kong Country (1997)
Donkey Kong, the hero ofDonkey Kong Country,is the guardian of Kongo Bongo Island, entrusted with the protection of the Crystal Coconut by the island spirit Inka Dinka Doo. Alongside his allies Diddy Kong, Candy Kong, and others, DK battles the forces of King K. Rool, the crocodile king who seeks to control the Coconut and the island. Struggling to balance his responsibilities with his social life and his deep love of bananas, Donkey Kong questions his worthiness to become the island’s future leader, but with his friends beside him, he will stop at nothing to keep the Crystal Coconut from K. Rool’s scaly claws.
Despite Poor Animation, Donkey Kong Country Told an Exciting Story
The most immediately noticeable thing aboutDonkey Kong Countryis its animation. Even for its time (remember, this was the age ofTransformers: Beast Wars),the animation was bad, suffering from clunky character models and stiff movement. With that said, the show still had a pretty decent fan base, and the action-adventure story, balanced with the eccentric personalities on Kongo Bongo, made the show extremely memorable.
It also had a fun focus on music, with each episode presenting new songs that are still being covered today. The series definitely doesn’t hold up among other classics of animation, but it still deserves your attention all the same.
1Pokémon (1997)
You know the story by now. Debuting in 1997, Ash Ketchum, a 10-year-old boy from Pallet Town, is the protagonist ofPokémonand its many sequels. Paired with his partner Pikachu, with whom he had a rocky start, Ash ventures across the Kanto region in order to capture and train new Pokémon, challenge the eight Gym Leaders, and eventually become a Pokémon Master. However, there are a number of dangers in this world of pocket monsters, the villainous Pokémon thieves Team Rocket chief among them, so it’s a good thing that Ash has good friends at his side in former gym leader Brock and hot-headed water Pokémon user Misty.
Pokémon is Nintendo’s Biggest Animated Smash-Hit
At this point in time,Pokémonneeds no introduction. It is one of the most popular anime series of all time, and it helpeddefine the monster-collecting genre. Running for almost 30 years, the series has excited fans with intense battles, beloved characters, and fast-paced stories.
Pokémonhas become an industry giant for a reason, and among the items on this list, it is the only one that has created a long-standing legacy. Ash is finally passing the torch to new Pokémon trainers with the upcoming release ofPokémon Horizons,but the forever 10-year-old has inspired generations with his and his allies' action-packed adventures.
