He has continued to be the voice of not only Mario, but also Luigi, Wario and Waluigi among others. With the release of Super Smash Bros Ultimate in 2018, Martinet racked up 100 video game appearances for Mario, giving him the world record for portrayals as the same character.
After owning the synonymous Mario voice for so long, it was no surprise that when Super Mario Bros Wonder was revealed back in June, fans immediately picked up the lack of Martinet’s voice. Suspicions were confirmed in August, as both Nintendo and Martinet announced that he would be moving into the new role as Mario Ambassador, and stepping down from voicing him in new projects. It seemed fitting for those like myself that have grown up with Martinet’s voice; that his final role was as Mario’s Father in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
However, the question remained, who was the new Mario?
Our answer arrived a week prior to Wonder’s release, when Kevin Afghani announced he would be playing the voice of both Mario and Luigi in Super Mario Bros Wonder. Prior to this, Afghani had been involved in a few anime’s, including Dragon Ball R+R, and voiced Arnold in Genshin Impact.
Mario and Luigi will be long term roles for Afghani, and it is good to hear a different take on the classic characters. On the basis of trailers we’ve seen and heard so far, Kevin’s interpretation is certainly different, but it still feels like Mario. It remains to be seen if he will also be voicing Wario, among other characters, though we should get an answer to that soon once “Wario Ware: Move It!” is released in November.
Regardless, Mario’s voice appears to be in safe hands, the transition from one actor to another can be difficult particularly as for some 'Afghani's Mario' won’t feel like 'their Mario', but if his first performance is anything to go by, I am very much looking forward to the years ahead.
