Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros Anime Is Now Available In 4K

super mario anime
Nick Davis

Nintendo is the largest Japanese media company in the world. Even if you don’t play video games, you almost certainly still recognize names like Super Mario or Zelda. Their impact on the gaming world is nothing short of innovative. But that success in creating popular video game characters and stories never manifests itself in other mediums. Nintendo seldom does anime or manga.

There was a popular Kirby anime by the name of Kirby: Right Back At Ya in the early 2000s. There was also a very poor attempt at a Legend Of Zelda series at one point that most fans choose to forget. What’s more, people often mistake Pokemon as a Nintendo franchise. Pokemon does have a long-running and successful anime as well as a manga. But the IP does, in fact, belong to Game Freak, a company that works closely with Nintendo but has no further ties. For anyone with an interest in one of Nintendo’s scarce anime, there is now something out there. A little-known anime based on one of Nintendo’s most beloved characters.

Super Mario In 4K

Back in 1986, when the Super Mario Bros were still new to the gaming scene, they got their very first movie. It’s an anime film with the title Super Mario Bros: Peach-Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen! There is no English title on account of the movie never getting a release outside of Japan. For those curious, the title roughly translates to  “Super Mario Bros: The Mission To Rescue Princess Peach!

peach and bowser super mario anime
A shot of Peach and Bowser from the remastered film

It wasn’t a particularly successful anime movie. It had a small release in Japan and then became almost entirely lost to history. That was until a small team got together to give the film a 4K remaster. The remaster not only gives the 80s film a sheen it’s never had before, it also comes complete with English subtitles. That means the English-speaking Mario fans around the world can enjoy Mario’s first film in their own language for the first time ever.

The interest in the film has been high since the remaster’s release. The YouTube video has 81,000 views in just a few days. That’s possibly the most people that have ever seen this rare anime.

The Future Of Nintendo Anime

There is a lot of potential for Nintendo characters to have their own creative works outside of video games. The fanbase is already there. It’s all about finding the right creators to craft the right stories. It doesn’t seem like Nintendo’s priorities have ever been in that sector of popular media. But if they ever do decide to invest, there are certainly fans eagerly awaiting shows for Star Fox, The Legend Of Zelda, and Metroid.

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