Mario Tennis Aces characters, ranked by the internet

The Mario Tennis Aces demo was released May 24 on Nintendo eShop and anticipation is high for the official release later this month. Mario Tennis Aces follows in the tradition of its predecessors and brings together the colorful Mario characters for some tennis. While there’s definitely a discussion to be had on the pros and cons of each playable character, especially in online mode, this article will focus on a different sort of ranking: internet appreciation.

First things first: All Mario characters are loved and valid. But the demo had some standouts, at least according to the internet. Without further ado, here are the Mario Tennis Aces characters ranked by just how much the internet loves them.

10. (tie) Wario, Toad, Toadette, Bowser, Bowser Jr., and Donkey Kong

If they weren’t listed in the official lineup, it would be hard to tell that they were even in the game. Most of the fan posted material glosses over these guys. While they are definitely fine contenders (and Toad gets extra points since two Toads serve as commentators for the match), they’re just not striking hard in the hearts of players.

9. Mario

This is Mario’s world and we’re all just living in it. Unfortunately, though he is the title character, Mario’s presence is lackluster. If this game did not belong to him, we might forget that he was even in it.

8. Peach

Peach has been getting some attention — after all, she’s got a very stylish outfit. But like Mario, we’ve seen Peach before. Peach is loved, sure, but she’s standard. Her special move animation is super cute, though, so she gets a leg up on Mario for that.

7. Spike

A newcomer to the Mario Tennis games, Spike has a small, yet devoted fanbase that will surely only grow once the full game is released.

6. Daisy

Daisy’s first playable appearance was in the original Mario Tennis, so it only makes sense that people are excited for her latest tennis adventure. She’s had a healthy share of posts and fan art dedicated to her.

5. Luigi

Though the Year of Luigi happened five years ago, the internet’s love for him will never die. When the game was announced, Luigi made headlines for ... odd and intimate reasons. Now he’s back in the highlights, mostly because of his big role in the game’s storyline, where he stumbles upon an evil tennis racket.

The parallels to a certain Marvel movie were too good not to make.

4. Rosalina

Rosalina has captured the hearts of the internet with her grace, charm and stylish tennis skirt. A queen truly worthy of the internet’s adoration.

In fact, some have said that the game should actually revolve around Rosalina. Get on it, Nintendo.

3. Waluigi

The internet loves Waluigi. Like, really loves him. Like, probably too much.

And it’s not that Waluigi is funny or that he’s spawned many an artful meme in his time. No, the internet loves Waluigi because he is, apparently, one hot babe.

Hey, to each their own. Nintendo definitely is playing up Waluigi’s, uh, romantic appeal.

He also moonwalks, which honestly is pretty cool.

2. Yoshi

Yoshi captivated the internet not with his sweet moves or gameplay animation, but with the fact that he looks completely and utterly devastated when he loses.

For reference, here’s sad Yoshi in all his glory.

Nintendo via DylanEskri

As described in a Reddit post:

The other characters look a little disappointed or frustrated when they lose, and that’s fine, but Yoshi looks like you just crushed his entire sense of self worth. I’ve never seen a more dejected-looking dinosaur in my life. I honestly dread playing against Yoshi now, simply for this reason. The guilt is just too much. Yoshi seems like such a good sport the rest of the match; why does he take losing so hard?

I really hope Nintendo fixes this issue before launch, because I’m not sure my heart can take seeing that sad and defeated look on his face each and every time he loses a tennis match. It really is a playability issue when you think about it.

Yoshi deserves some love, so he lands a comfortable second place in this ranking. Since his popularity is centered around his loss, however, it wouldn’t make sense to bestow him with first place. Besides, first place already belongs to...

1. Chain Chomp

There isn’t even a competition. The best playable character in Mario Tennis Aces is Chain Chomp. Here are the objective reasons why.

He balances the ball on TOP OF HIS HEAD to serve.

He chases his own tail.

You can even double up Chain Chomp for even more Chain Chomp cuteness.

Chain Chomp is a good boy and the internet overwhelmingly agrees.

If you want more of these delightful characters, the full version of Mario Tennis Aces hits Nintendo Switch on June 22.