Super Mario Bros. Wonder fans are now comparing the quality of Mario’s new voice actor with his old one. This is due to Kevin Afghani taking over the Mario role from Charles Martinet in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Charles Martinet announced his retirement from the Mario series in 2023 after playing the role since 1994. Martinet has moved onto a brand ambassador role for Nintendo and won’t be voicing the famous Italian plumber anymore. This also means that Martinet won’t be playing any of the characters from the Mario franchise that he has voiced in the past, including Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi.
Related: Super Mario Bros. Wonder Elephant Power-Up Plushies Coming 2024
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Fans Debate Whether Kevin Afghani vs Charles Martinet
Now that Super Mario Bros. Wonder is available, fans on the Mario Reddit are now comparing the new voice with the old, as Kevin Afghani is playing Mario in his latest adventure. Bear in mind that Mario doesn’t say a great deal in his games, and the role wouldn’t be anywhere near as scrutinized if the character wasn’t so famous.
Surprisingly, many fans have a positive reaction toward the new voice. Some people cannot tell the difference, which is good, as it means Afghani has nailed the iconic voice. Some fans think the voice sounds notably younger, but the change isn’t a distraction.
It’s common for video game fans to respond poorly when new actors take over famous roles. In this case, Martinet had decided that his time in the red overalls was up, so someone needed to take over the Mario role, and Afghani had done a good job in his first outing.
Related: Wave Of Super Mario Games Leaves Me Wondering, “Where Is Odyssey 2?”
It’s unclear whether Nintendo intends to keep Afghani in the Mario role. While it might be a while until the next mainline Mario game is released, there are always Super Mario Bros. spin-off titles in the works, so we’ll see if Afghani will have the staying power that Martinet had accumulated over decades of playing Mario.
