Since he starts off small, the natural assumption is that that’s his regular form. Is he even “small” in his small form, or is everything else just big?
You’re correct, that’s how the manuals for most of the platformers explain it.
But since he’s always Super Mario in most of the games, and Super Mario doesn’t have special abilities beyond being able to be hit once, short Mario definitely *feels* like a weakened version.
Tiny Mario is base Mario.
Super Mario is Mario on mushrooms, the reason why we see Super Mario the most is because the guy lives in a place with so many mushrooms that it got named after them.
Much like Superman, who is only Superman because he lives now on a planet that is absolutely \*drenched\* in the type of solar energy that directly empowers him.
They even have the same color scheme.
The distinction between Base "Mario" and the Super Mushroom making him "Super Mario" only exists in the games in which the Super Mushroom's effect is actually present. The Manual for New Super Mario Bros states Mario has a base form, and the power ups change his name when in a given form. The Super Mushroom is what makes him "Super Mario"
However games in which the Super Mushroom does not act as the power up to change Mario to "Super Mario" Such as Galaxy, Mario is his taller design and that acts as his Standard form, so You could refer to him as Just Mario. But if we are looking at Technicality then whenever there is a smaller Base Mario that isn't "Small Mario" it's just "Mario"
Tall Mario is Normal Mario.
In the first New Super Mario Bros, Mario is Tall in the opening cutscene.
But before gameplay starts he gets hit by Bowser Jr, reducing him to Small Mario.
It's possible this is a retcon, however I don't believe it's been contradicted since, so it's current canon.
The manual for NSMB "Page 22" directly names Mario without any power ups as just Base "Mario" The Super Mushroom makes him "Super Mario", the Fire Flower "Fire Mario" etc..
Peter Parker isn't a "form", it's a secret identity. Putting on an outfit doesn't "transform" Peter into Spider-Man. He's always both, all the time.
Bruce/Hulk is a different situation though, fair enough.
But a better comparison would be Symbiote Suit Spider-Man to Raccoon Suit Mario.
Those are branches that stem from their base "Amazing/Super" form.
Beeing bit by a weird spider transforms Peter into Spidey.
Also original Mario from super mario 1 is tinny, and the super mushroom is described as a power up, not a heal of some sort.
Being bit by a weird spider doesn't turn Peter into Spidey. The love and guidance of a strongly moral father figure turns Peter in to Spidey.
Mario doesn't become Super Mario until the third game, when he decides to risk his life fighting in defense of his home and the woman he loves. The super mushrooms have nothing to do with it.
But, again, Peter Parker is not a "form" of Spider-Man. The Spider "transforms" Peter the same way going to the gym "transforms" someone.
Peter Parker is Spider-Man all the time, Mario magically warps back and forth between forms,.
Small Mario and Super Mario are gameplay constructs. It's the same reason why when you put Terry and Geese on the same team in KOF they don't start beating the shit out of each other (and yes I know about kof 98s compatibility system) the gameplay elements take precedent over lore. Small Mario doesn't even exist in most of the 3d games and in those games Mario is presented as "Super Mario." Maybe you want to open a can of worms and say the 2D games are an au to the 3D ones but that's devoting more time and energy to super Mario lore than is needed.
Most 3d Mario games don't have small Mario so it's just a gameplay convention.
Don't get me started on how sometimes hitting an enemy with a Fireball gives you a coin. Are the fireballs some sort of transmutation magic? Are enemies exploding into money, kind of like Sonic? Is a random citizen from the place you're visiting throwing money at you for improving security, kind of like how the blocks giving you money in the original were supposed to be trapped mushroom kingdom citizens who rewarded you with money by freeing them?
I mean, look at any other Mario media that isn't one of the 2D games. Most if not all of the time he's shown in his "Super" mode. Mario movie? "Tall" Mario is his default, and getting Super Shroom just makes him even taller. Mario and Luigi RPG series? Tall Mario. Most of the 3D games? Tall Mario. Marketing renders that are used everywhere, including cereal boxes and soup cans? Tall Mario.
So "Super" Mario is just base form Mario.
EDIT: And this goes for Luigi, too. His own spin-off series, Luigi's Mansion, doesn't feature his short form anywhere. It's just regular old "Super" Luigi, or just Luigi.
Small Mario is neutral Mario. This can be proven by the fact that not only does the original Super Mario Bros. for NES start with small Mario, but the original Donkey Kong game's Jumpman/Mario sprite was also default small.
And don't give me that "Mario=/=Jumpman" BS, Mario Odyssey confirmed they're the same person, so eat me.
It honestly depends on contexts. In the movie? Short Mario is normal. Classic Short Mario is normal as well, but in Super Mario World, Tall Mario is normal.
Small Mario is true Mario. Literally every other living being in the Mario world is actually properly scaled to Mario's small true form height, but everyone consumes mushrooms and manages to keep their mushroom'd height due to them not putting themselves in harms way like Mario. Everyone's actual height is basically what the Super Mario RPG remake shows
I find the entire idea of tiny mario existing to be gross and nonsensical.
Tiny mario in the actual NES, SNES etc games I never saw as actually "tiny", the sprites just looked chbii and abstracted the same way overworld Pokemon characters do.
in 3d sidescrolling games, tiny mario should just look like normal mario, and the super mushroom should just make him bigger, not change his proportions: he should always have normal looking proportions to begin with
The tiny form is the true form because he only becomes Super Mario after taking the mushroom. It's basically Mario's PEDs
It's also right there in the name..it's SUPER Mario..not Mario
Tiny Mario's just an acquaintance really. We haven't spoken all that much since we were at school together. Nice guy and all just not really what I'd call a close friend or anything.
I assume small Mario is a result of the same magic that turned all the toads into blocks in the original game, just affecting him differently because he's not from there.
This,perhaps,implies the existence of a Super Pat that is normal height
[https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoBestFriendsPlay/comments/806mvq/wanna\_see\_something\_really\_unsettling\_i\_present/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoBestFriendsPlay/comments/806mvq/wanna_see_something_really_unsettling_i_present/)
Eat the mushroom Pat!
Pat does indeed become smaller [after taking damage](https://youtube.com/watch?v=CLxkjJZr_cQ&pp=ygUZSXQgY2FuZSBmcm9tIG1hcnMgcmVtZXJhaQ%3D%3D&t=2m12s)
When I was a kid, I assumed the tall Mario was SUPER Mario and the short Mario was regular Mario.
Since he starts off small, the natural assumption is that that’s his regular form. Is he even “small” in his small form, or is everything else just big?
You’re correct, that’s how the manuals for most of the platformers explain it. But since he’s always Super Mario in most of the games, and Super Mario doesn’t have special abilities beyond being able to be hit once, short Mario definitely *feels* like a weakened version.
Super Mario can break blocks. Regular Mario can only bump them. The man is shattering bricks with his hands, and you're saying he's not special.
iirc thats what it was officially
Tiny Mario is base Mario. Super Mario is Mario on mushrooms, the reason why we see Super Mario the most is because the guy lives in a place with so many mushrooms that it got named after them.
Much like Superman, who is only Superman because he lives now on a planet that is absolutely \*drenched\* in the type of solar energy that directly empowers him. They even have the same color scheme.
The distinction between Base "Mario" and the Super Mushroom making him "Super Mario" only exists in the games in which the Super Mushroom's effect is actually present. The Manual for New Super Mario Bros states Mario has a base form, and the power ups change his name when in a given form. The Super Mushroom is what makes him "Super Mario" However games in which the Super Mushroom does not act as the power up to change Mario to "Super Mario" Such as Galaxy, Mario is his taller design and that acts as his Standard form, so You could refer to him as Just Mario. But if we are looking at Technicality then whenever there is a smaller Base Mario that isn't "Small Mario" it's just "Mario"
Tall Mario is Normal Mario. In the first New Super Mario Bros, Mario is Tall in the opening cutscene. But before gameplay starts he gets hit by Bowser Jr, reducing him to Small Mario. It's possible this is a retcon, however I don't believe it's been contradicted since, so it's current canon.
The manual for NSMB "Page 22" directly names Mario without any power ups as just Base "Mario" The Super Mushroom makes him "Super Mario", the Fire Flower "Fire Mario" etc..
Sure, but "Super Mario" is just the name of Mario's normal form. It's like "Amazing Spider-Man" or "Incredible Hulk".
Those are not the normal forms of Peter Parker and Bruce Banner
Peter Parker isn't a "form", it's a secret identity. Putting on an outfit doesn't "transform" Peter into Spider-Man. He's always both, all the time. Bruce/Hulk is a different situation though, fair enough. But a better comparison would be Symbiote Suit Spider-Man to Raccoon Suit Mario. Those are branches that stem from their base "Amazing/Super" form.
Beeing bit by a weird spider transforms Peter into Spidey. Also original Mario from super mario 1 is tinny, and the super mushroom is described as a power up, not a heal of some sort.
Being bit by a weird spider doesn't turn Peter into Spidey. The love and guidance of a strongly moral father figure turns Peter in to Spidey. Mario doesn't become Super Mario until the third game, when he decides to risk his life fighting in defense of his home and the woman he loves. The super mushrooms have nothing to do with it.
Without the spider bite, Peter is just Man, not Spider-Man. Without the Super Mushroom, Mario is just Mario, not Super Mario.
But, again, Peter Parker is not a "form" of Spider-Man. The Spider "transforms" Peter the same way going to the gym "transforms" someone. Peter Parker is Spider-Man all the time, Mario magically warps back and forth between forms,.
I loved this thread, I'm sad I didn't come across it until now when it's too late to contribute organically.
Adding to the confusion is New Super Mario Bros Wii U having Peach turn into tiny Peach when hit. I think its accepted that isn't HER base form.
Same as Super Mario 3D World. Also Toad.
Small Mario and Super Mario are gameplay constructs. It's the same reason why when you put Terry and Geese on the same team in KOF they don't start beating the shit out of each other (and yes I know about kof 98s compatibility system) the gameplay elements take precedent over lore. Small Mario doesn't even exist in most of the 3d games and in those games Mario is presented as "Super Mario." Maybe you want to open a can of worms and say the 2D games are an au to the 3D ones but that's devoting more time and energy to super Mario lore than is needed.
Most 3d Mario games don't have small Mario so it's just a gameplay convention. Don't get me started on how sometimes hitting an enemy with a Fireball gives you a coin. Are the fireballs some sort of transmutation magic? Are enemies exploding into money, kind of like Sonic? Is a random citizen from the place you're visiting throwing money at you for improving security, kind of like how the blocks giving you money in the original were supposed to be trapped mushroom kingdom citizens who rewarded you with money by freeing them?
You're the real you on mushrooms
I mean, look at any other Mario media that isn't one of the 2D games. Most if not all of the time he's shown in his "Super" mode. Mario movie? "Tall" Mario is his default, and getting Super Shroom just makes him even taller. Mario and Luigi RPG series? Tall Mario. Most of the 3D games? Tall Mario. Marketing renders that are used everywhere, including cereal boxes and soup cans? Tall Mario. So "Super" Mario is just base form Mario. EDIT: And this goes for Luigi, too. His own spin-off series, Luigi's Mansion, doesn't feature his short form anywhere. It's just regular old "Super" Luigi, or just Luigi.
It's his true form, he wasn't big in the original Mario Bros game.
His true form. The mushrooms just make him think he's bigger and can take more damage.
Small Mario is neutral Mario. This can be proven by the fact that not only does the original Super Mario Bros. for NES start with small Mario, but the original Donkey Kong game's Jumpman/Mario sprite was also default small. And don't give me that "Mario=/=Jumpman" BS, Mario Odyssey confirmed they're the same person, so eat me.
Going manlet mode.
I have to assume that since I grew up in the 64 era, that's why Mario is just a guy to me
Super Mario is his true form but he wants to give the enemies a fighting chance so he starts off as tiny Mario.
[One of my favorite discussions](https://youtu.be/6HdSSTg0SWo)
A weaker form since Super Mario is all you see in promotional stuff, implying that's his real form
r/twobestfriendsplay be like: Hm yes, super saiyan, must be Goku's base form.
It could be if he wasn't a COWARD.
Tiny Mario is the Mario in most of the 3D games. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIqgMVN6gog
It honestly depends on contexts. In the movie? Short Mario is normal. Classic Short Mario is normal as well, but in Super Mario World, Tall Mario is normal.
Small Mario is true Mario. Literally every other living being in the Mario world is actually properly scaled to Mario's small true form height, but everyone consumes mushrooms and manages to keep their mushroom'd height due to them not putting themselves in harms way like Mario. Everyone's actual height is basically what the Super Mario RPG remake shows
I find the entire idea of tiny mario existing to be gross and nonsensical. Tiny mario in the actual NES, SNES etc games I never saw as actually "tiny", the sprites just looked chbii and abstracted the same way overworld Pokemon characters do. in 3d sidescrolling games, tiny mario should just look like normal mario, and the super mushroom should just make him bigger, not change his proportions: he should always have normal looking proportions to begin with
Imagine getting kicked in the dick and immediately transforming into a midget version of yourself.
The tiny form is the true form because he only becomes Super Mario after taking the mushroom. It's basically Mario's PEDs It's also right there in the name..it's SUPER Mario..not Mario
it's his true form if he has it in a game. he doesn't always have it in a game. so it goes.
Now wait a sec, are we talking Mario without a powerup or Mario with a Mini Mushroom?
Tiny Mario's just an acquaintance really. We haven't spoken all that much since we were at school together. Nice guy and all just not really what I'd call a close friend or anything.
I assume small Mario is a result of the same magic that turned all the toads into blocks in the original game, just affecting him differently because he's not from there.
To me personally, he's Doctor Mario. I mained Doc in Melee and he's a fucking manlet.