Wanda
| Wanda | |
|---|---|
 Spirit artwork from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
| Species | Fairy |
| First appearance | Mario & Wario (1993) |
| Latest appearance | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (spirit cameo) (2018) |
Wanda is a character in Mario & Wario. She is a fairy who is the fabled subject of a mythical forest, but when Mario is attacked by Wario in her domain, she takes it upon herself to guide the former to safety.[1] She was designed by Game Freak employee Ken Sugimori.[2][3] She is named after the wand she carries.[4]
History[edit]
Mario & Wario[edit]
In the game Mario & Wario, the player controls Wanda using the Super Famicom Mouse, providing a safe pathway for the aimlessly-wandering Princess Peach, Mario, and Yoshi, who have had buckets and other objects dropped on their heads by Wario and were all separated from Luigi. Her role is to create safer pathways by utilizing her magic wand to alter the surroundings of the environments and obstacles that were in the way of the blinded heroes. If she does not clear the obstacles in front of the blinded characters, the level would not be able to be completed as the blinded characters would not be able to reach their target destination. During the bonus minigames after every ten courses, she uses a hammer to hit Wario's plane for coins. In the ending, Wanda is seen presenting the "THANK YOU" message on the screen as the heroes defeat Wario and celebrate her success.
Super Mario (Kodansha manga)[edit]
Wanda appears in the KC Deluxe manga adaptations of Mario & Wario and Wario's Woods, replacing the Sprite in the latter.
In the first story arc, she helps Mario, Peach, and Yoshi in saving Luigi from Wario's clutches by filling the pits with blocks and saving the heroes from fatal falls.
In the Wario's Woods story arc, she is shown to be a potion maker, hoping to one day create a potion that makes her as big as a human. However, every single potion she makes always explodes. With her explosive concoctions (which replace the Bombs), she helps a young Mario in saving a young Peach and Birdo from a young Wario that had just freed Fauster, a demon sealed ages ago by a Toad hero whose helmet was given to Mario by the Fairies.
In the second act, set years later after the first, Wanda is banished from the Fairies' album by the fairy elder due to another explosive potion of hers. This is revealed to be a saving grace, as Fauster is once again freed by Wario and uses the power given to him by having an infant Luigi sacrificed to him to turn all the fairies into stone, except for Wanda. In their journey to defeat Fauster, Wanda and Mario are accompanied by Peach and Birdo. After defeating Goro, the group splits up and Wanda goes with Mario, who gets hypnotized by Mad's mermaid voice. Wanda attempts to free Mario from the trance by creating a potion that would wake him up, but it explodes, freeing him from the mermaid spell. After Fauster completely regains his power and fuses with Luigi into a giant Luigi-esque demon, Wanda attempts to create an exploding potion and finally manages to create the desired growing potion and becomes a giant. Wario, however, re-writes her name on the Fairies' album, and she is instantly petrified. Distraught by the situation, Wanda cries a tear that lands on Mario, making him bigger and leading him to defeat Fuaster, saving the world, the petrified fairies, and Luigi.
In the latter story arc, Wanda is shown to have two unnamed Fairy friends, which always console her when the elder scolds her.
Super Mario-kun[edit]
Wanda first appears in volume 9 of the manga series Super Mario-kun, who is seen attempting to help Mario remove a bucket on his head. However, when Bowser approaches to help them, he trips and lands on Wanda, causing the two to become fused together for the rest of the Mario & Wario arc that extends to the next volume. Bowser has control of Wanda's magic and, while still getting used to it, takes advantage of the situation to prank Mario. During the final battle, the fusion spell expires and the two return to normal.
Like in KC Mario, Wanda replaces the sprite in the Wario's Woods arc, between volume 11 and 13. In this issue, Wanda saves herself from Wario's invasion and arrives at Peach's Castle Garden to ask for help, after which Mario, Luigi, Toad, Yoshi, and later Birdo join her.
Wanda role is relatively marginal in both arcs, mostly giving the heroes information about the locations and bosses and using her magic to make blocks appear or pass some bombs.
Super Smash Bros. series[edit]
While Wanda herself does not appear in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the description for the bucket trophy mentions her role in Mario & Wario. Wanda is only seen in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, although as a Novice-class support spirit. The spirit boosts the power of the user's magic-based attacks. The corresponding spirit battle involves battling a tiny Palutena, who is accompanied by Mario, Peach, and Yoshi. The core extracted from Wanda's spirit can be combined with Princess Shokora's core to summon the Sprixie Princesses' spirit, or with Smeargle's core to summon Elline's spirit.
Profiles and statistics[edit]
Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten[edit]
| ワンダ (JP) / Wanda (EN) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Original text (Japanese) | Translation | ||
| 妖精の森 | Place of origin | Fairy Forest | |
| 世話好き | Disposition | Caring person | |
| M&W | Game appearances | M&W | |
| 魔法のつえでみんなを守る妖精ワンダ 「私の役目は、バケツをかぶせられ前が見えないマリオたちを魔法のつえで誘導すること。ワリオのいたずらにも困ったもんね」[5] |
Wanda, the fairy who protects others with her magic wand "My job is to guide Mario and his friends, who are covered with buckets and can't see what's ahead, with my magic wand. I'm also stuck in the middle of Wario's pranks." | ||
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
| Spirit #118 Wanda | ||
|---|---|---|
|
|
Series/game | Super Mario Series |
| Type | Support | |
| Slots | 1 | |
| Class | Novice | |
| Strength / effect(s) | Magic Attack ↑ | |
| How to obtain | Spirit Board | |
| Spirit battle | Opponent(s) | Tiny Palutena, Mario, Peach, Yoshi |
| Conditions |
| |
| Stage | Green Greens (Battlefield) | |
| Song | Mario Paint Medley |
Gallery[edit]
Mario & Wario
Mario & Wario sprite
Artwork used for a Super Mario Christmas-themed puzzle
Super Mario Maze Picture Book 3: Mario versus Wario
Super Mario Maze Picture Book 3: Mario versus Wario
Super Mario Game Picture Book 6: Take down Wario!
Super Mario Game Picture Book 6: Take down Wario!
Super Mario Game Picture Book 6: Take down Wario!
Super Mario Game Picture Book 6: Take down Wario!
Super Mario Game Picture Book 6: Take down Wario!
Super Mario Game Picture Book 6: Take down Wario!
Super Mario Game Picture Book 6: Take down Wario!
Super Mario Game Picture Book 6: Take down Wario!
Super Mario Game Picture Book 6: Take down Wario!
Super Mario Game Picture Book 6: Take down Wario!
Super Mario Picture Book with Peel-and-Release Stickers 5: Wanda's Birthday
Commercial for Mario & Wario
Photo of Shigeki Morimoto and Junichi Masuda with figures of Wario in the Bulldog and Wanda
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ワンダ[?] Wanda |
Wanda | |
| French | Wanda[?] | - | |
| Italian | Wanda[6][7][8] | - | |
| Russian | Жизель[?] Zhizel' |
From жезл (zhezl, "staff") | |
| Spanish | Wanda[6] | - |
Trivia[edit]
- In preview material for the canceled international release, Wanda was nicknamed "Barrio".[9][10]
- Wanda was originally created for the earlier, monster-themed versions of Mario vs. Wario. Game Freak requested to keep the character when the game shifted to using Super Mario characters.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ 1993. Mario & Wario instruction booklet. Nintendo. Page 2.
- ^ ゲームフリーク公式チャンネル (June 7, 2019). 【公式】ゲームフリーク30周年企画「マスダの部屋｣ 第三回【#ゲームフリーク ひみつきち#28】. YouTube (Japanese). Retrieved December 27, 2023.
- ^ a b March 6, 2023. そこに、任天堂サイドから「どうせなら任天堂のキャラを載せようや」という提案があり、僕らもその方がどう考えても売れるので承諾してマリオとワリオになった。でもギリギリでワンダちゃん（杉森建のオリジナルキャラ）を残してもらった.. X (Japanese). Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ July 6, 2023. たしかにそうですね。名前のワンダちゃんの語源はワンダーではなく、手に持った杖（wand）から命名しました。. X (Japanese). Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ 1994. Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten. Page 25.
- ^ a b Super Smash Bros. Melee Bucket trophy
- ^ Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Spirit
- ^ November 15, 2018. Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 978-8893674362. Page 241.
- ^ November 1993. Nintendo Magazine System (UK) Issue #14. Page 46.
- ^ "However, the biggest help is in the form of a mysterious little fairy armed with a magic wand which can make blocks appear from nowhere, thus allowing Mario to cross otherwise impassable gaps. And so it falls to our winged wonder, whom we shall call Barrio, to save our superhero!" – October 1993. Nintendo Magazine System (AU) Issue #13. Page 14.
- ^ November 1993. Nintendo Magazine System (UK) Issue #14. Page 48.
- ^ "This filling in blocks business isn’t as easy as it sounds. For starters, you can’t just bung a block anywhere. It’s only possible to create a block where there is a Psychic Potential Block Field. Luckily, being a fairy, it’s possible for you to see the oft-ignored aurae that appear as a white outline. Even then there are loads of different kinds of block to deal with." – October 1993. Nintendo Magazine System (UK) Issue #13. Page 16.
| Mario & Wario | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main characters | Luigi • Mario • Princess Peach • Wanda • Wario • Yoshi | |||
| Enemies | Dodorigesu Jr. • Guriguri • Komorin • Tsubōn • Unibo | |||
| Stages | Yōsei no Mori • Yosu Ko • Kumotori Yama • Kōri no Dōkutsu • Honō no Dōkutsu • Pukupuku Kai • Balloon Bridge • Karakara Sabaku • Wario no Niwa • Wario Tei • EXTRA | |||
| Items & obstacles | 1-Up Mushroom • Bucket • Coin Block • Elevator • Flip-Flop Block • Fūsen Block • Hammer • Jump Block • Magic Wand • Nebaneba Block • Rock Block • Star • Switch Block • Time Kinoko • Timer Block • Toge Block | |||
| Other | Bulldog • Staff • Gallery • Media | |||
