Mario sports games are widely successful and the latest offering, Mario Strikers: Battle League, is no exception. The super-powered soccer game features 10 playable captains, but there is room for a lot more. The current roster of captains includes Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, Rosalina, Toad, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Waluigi.
While these characters are all from the Super Mario Bros. franchise, previous Mario sports and party games have not been shy to add characters from other games. There are a few Mario Bros. characters that should appear in the future, but there are a lot of good characters from other Nintendo games that should throw on some cleats and jerseys and get out there on the pitch.
10 Diddy Kong Is An Appealing Choice
With Donkey Kong already a playable character in Mario Strikers: Battle League, it makes sense to add Diddy Kong as well. Diddy has appeared in the Smash Bros., Mario Kart, and Donkey Kong games, while also having his own games.
Diddy Kong is an established character within the Mario franchise and offers up some interesting abilities, perhaps using his tail to perform special shots or blocks. Battle League having only Donkey Kong without Diddy in the game is like having Mario but not Luigi.
9 Princess Daisy Was An Obvious Exclusion
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With Rosalina and Peach already on the roster, it makes sense to add the third Mario princess as well. Daisy has appeared in previous Mario sports games, like golf and tennis, while also featuring in Smash Bros. titles and Mario Party as well.
When Mario Strikers: Battle League was announced and the 10-player roster revealed, fans were surprised Daisy was left out. This, however, did lead to speculation that there may be DLC characters, as leaving such a prominent character like Daisy out of the game is surprising.
8 Petey Piranha Has Grown On Fans
If the game of soccer takes place on a grassy field, then why not add a plant? Petey the Piranha plant debuted in Super Mario Sunshine and has since appeared in a handful of titles including Mario Tennis: Aces, Mario Superstar Baseball, and several Mario Party games.
Petey is the leader of all the piranha plants, and while his large head makes him top-heavy, he is a fun character to play as or against. Petey should be added as his popularity has grown, and he has already established his athletic prowess in previous games.
7 Bowser Jr. Should Team Up With His Dad
With big bad Bowser already in the game, it makes sense to add his son, Bowser Jr. The obnoxious little kid is surprisingly cute even though his evil plans are quite dastardly. Bowser Jr. debuted in Super Mario Sunshine to help his father kidnap Princess Peach.
Bowser Jr. has already appeared in several Mario sports titles including golf, tennis, baseball, and even basketball. Bowser Jr. is motivated to impress his father, and having a father vs. son match, or a father and son team-up, would work well within the competition of Mario Strikers: Battle League.
6 The Splatoon Inklings Add A Spalsh Of Color
Splatoon is one of Nintendo’s newest franchises, having first released on the Wii U. It had a successful sequel, and fans are eagerly awaiting the release of Splatoon 3 on the Switch.
With the third game coming out soon, having the Inkling characters appear in Mario Strikers: Battle League would serve to get fans even more excited for the game or to remind them it has launched, depending on when the Inklings would be added. The Inklings would add a splash of color to the field of play and provide some artistic goals through a splatteriffic power-shot.
5 Captain Falcon And His Falcon Kick
In a sport that is predominantly about kicking something, it makes perfect sense to add a character who has an attack move with the word “kick” in it. Captain Falcon, the F-Zero character, has appeared in the Super Smash Bros. games “Falcon Kicking” his way to victory.
It would be extremely easy to add Captain Falcon to the Mario Strikers: Battle League roster and have his special be the “Falcon Kick.” F-Zero fans have been waiting for a new game, and while that may never happen, they can satisfy a craving by playing as Captain Falcon in a game of soccer.
4 Pauline Sings Her Way To A Goal
The vivacious lounge singer Pauline, who was originally the damsel in distress in Donkey Kong, returned to the spotlight in Super Mario Odyssey. From there, she also appeared in Mario Tennis: Aces and Mario Golf: Super Rush, both released on the Nintendo Switch.
With her rise in popularity, Pauline’s appearance in Battle League wouldn’t surprise anyone. There would also be openings for some cool power shots for Pauline using her microphone stand or even serenading the opposing players as a distraction.
3 Kirby Could Absorb Special Shots
Kirby would open an interesting door, and possibly just a big cheat, if he joined the roster of Mario Strikers: Battle League. Kirby is known for absorbing the powers of enemies or objects, and this power could be used to great effect on the pitch.
Kirby could suck up the ball and dash to the net for a quick goal, or perhaps he could absorb the special abilities of other players on the same or opposing team. It may be a bit of a cheat for him to float the ball into the net, but he needs a little advantage with such short little legs.
2 Samus Aran Could Morph Her Way To The Goal
While Metroid fans games patiently await news of any kind on Metroid Prime 4, Nintendo could throw the fans a bone and add the bounty hunter to Battle League. Samus is a much-loved character who has numerous games under her belt, along with appearing in every Smash Bros. iteration.
Samus has not appeared in any Mario sports titles, but that should change with this Mario Strikers: Battle League. Samus could use her arm cannon as a special powered-up shot, or even roll up into a ball and score herself for a laugh.
1 Sonic The Hedgehog Speeds His Way Across The Pitch
The Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario Bros. franchises have already crossed paths several times in the world of sports with the Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games offerings. These games launched during Winter and Summer Olympic event years and featured numerous sports and teams of characters from both franchises.
Players have seen Sonic take on Mario on the pitch in a limited fashion in these games too, but it’s time to let them shoot it out in a full match. Sonic’s signature speed makes him an ideal candidate for inclusion in Mario Stirkers: Battle League.