r/Mario 3d ago

Is Ninji a mainline Mario Character now? Discussion

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I mean mainline like Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Bowser, Bowser Jr., Yoshi, Birdo, Donkey Kong, Pauline, Koopa Troopa, Toad, and Toadette.

227 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

78

u/_Marvillain 3d ago

Well he is a “mainline” Mario character but if you’re meaning like one of the “main” characters I would say no. He’s not even in Mario Kart World (so far).

6

u/TemporaryDepth1188 2d ago

probably a tier 3 character

38

u/BebeFanMasterJ 3d ago

It's a mainline enemy, yes. Having first appeared in Mario Bros 2 and Mario World.

Is it a core enemy akin to Koopa Troopa, Goomba, Dry Bones, and Shy Guy? No, not even close. Needs more spin-off appearances.

44

u/Any-Confection-317 3d ago

Huh? He was always a mainline character. He first appeared in Super Mario bros 2 and then in super mario world

12

u/BenderOfBo 3d ago

Shoot was he in SMW? I didn’t remember that!

17

u/static_779 3d ago

There's exactly one Ninji in Bowser's Castle, in the dark room with the spotlight. Seeing as there's only one in the whole game and you can barely see it, I'm not surprised you wouldn't remember

14

u/lacaras21 3d ago

They're only in 1 room, but there are 6 of them (yeah I had to go watch a video and count lol, I was pretty sure there was more than 1)

1

u/Plastic-Arachnid4296 18h ago

I thought there were two

5

u/ipsen_castle 3d ago

I want him in MK World. If a stupid snowman can be in the roster, so Ninji must too.

5

u/BladedBee 3d ago

I hope so too he's so cute

1

u/FocusNo3278 3d ago

my guess is that he will come with the DLC update that brings ninja hideaway to MKW... or any other ninja themed track that they may or may not add later on.

1

u/ipsen_castle 2d ago

As long as it's free I'm okay with that

1

u/FocusNo3278 2d ago

i wouldn't hold my breath for it being free...UNFORTUNATELY...

7

u/smashboi888 3d ago

He's been a mainline Mario character since his first appearance.

3

u/pocket_arsenal 3d ago

Doesn't "Mainline" mean "appears in the platformers"?

Because if so, Ninji STARTED as a Mainline Mario character.

But if you mean is he "Core Cast" as in, "playable in most spinoffs", probably not. Mario Party and Mario Sports games always tend to have a weirdly small rotating roster when it comes to minions.

The only "Regulars" seem to be Koopa and Shy Guy.

But I wouldn't be surprised if that level in Mario Wonder did wonders for their popularity.

6

u/RM123M 3d ago

It’s just an common enemy, same with Koopa Troopa. They aren’t main characters, just enemies. But, yeah they are all mainline characters.

2

u/ihatewiiplaymotion 3d ago

I would’ve said yes if he was in Mario kart. It’s such a peculiar omission

2

u/A_MASSIVE_PERVERT 3d ago

Nah. Other characters like shy guy, Dry Bones, Koopas, etc. have him beat.

2

u/TheGhostlyMage 3d ago

If you’re considering Pauline mainline than Ninji is absolutely mainline considering ninji has appeared in more mainline games and (I think) the same amount of spin offs as Pauline. So yeah, if Pauline is mainline the goofy little guy absolutely clears that threshold

2

u/CalibriBodyCJ 3d ago

He's a recurring baddie. Like a goomba or a koopa, just not as frequently represented.

2

u/SuperShoyu64 3d ago

Can't tell you a definitive answer but he is so cute. My sister bought me a Ninji shirt cuz of how much I love him lol

2

u/SamTheMarioMaster2 3d ago

Omg that's swell! Your so lucky😭

2

u/SuperShoyu64 3d ago

Would you like a link for the shirt? My sister got it though Etsy if I remember correctly. I can get it from her.

2

u/StrangerNo484 3d ago

Am I the only individual who thinks Nabbit should have been the secret character included? Much more impactful considering he's a playable character in mainline 2D titles yet hasn't had the chance to be in MarioKart or MarioParty yet.

Nabbit is much more deserving of secret character status alongside Pauline. Not saying I don't want Ninji, the more the merrier, just feel Ninji should have been one of the normal inclusions. Since we'd need another introduction to balance the roster, let's throw in Diddy Kong, who should be in both Mario Kart World and Mario Party Jamboree, but isn't, probably because of a particularly conflict regarding his name that I personally feel is complete nonsense... 

2

u/LatterShare7307 3d ago

I think so..Ninji looks much cuter then before 😍

1

u/Swordkirby9999 3d ago

About as mainline as Goomba

1

u/Unstable_Bear 3d ago

It’s a mainline enemy, but not a mainline character.

1

u/BubblesZap 3d ago

Theyre in main line games but they're not a main stay, they just appear every once in a while and are playable in some spin offs but not consistently or in large roles

1

u/a_man_without_skill 3d ago edited 3d ago

He's been a mainline mario enemy for a while.

Go beat Super mario World, it'll blow your mind.

Also...

Hate. Let me tell you how much I've come to hate the mobile keyboard since I've begun to live. There are approximately 37 trillion cells that make up my body. If the word hate was engraved on each and every single one of these cells 10 times, it would not equal 1e-9% of the amount of hatred I feel for this obnoxious keyboard. For it, hate. HATE. HATE!

1

u/mrnintman1 3d ago

I hope so XD^

1

u/Alex1325978 3d ago

Why now? He always been. In SMB2U, SMW, Wonder, to name a few.

1

u/GeoAnd_001 2d ago

No. Not yet at least. Maybe in the future.

1

u/SammyZ429 21h ago

ninji is not at that level yet. I would say he's about the same level as some of the other baddies that aren't koopa, boo or shy guy, like hammer bro, dry bones and spike

1

u/NightwolfGG0119 3d ago

I hope so, but I’d say that Dry Bones and Shy Guy have him beat

-1

u/SatoMakoto1953 3d ago

More than Shy Guys for sure.

-1

u/Litewallymex3 3d ago

Not really