Fourth wall: Difference between revisions

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'''{{more images}}
{{image|more=yes|Can we get an image of every instance? If not, at least one per game would also work.}}
{{quote|What? What's a Wii Remote? ...Don't worry. As long as the player gets it, we're fine.|Garson|Super Paper Mario}}
{{quote|And hey! You! Out there in front of the TV! Yeah, I'm talking to YOU!|Lord Crump|Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door}}
Sometimes, characters from the ''[[Mario (franchise)|Mario]]'' franchise will state something that implies that they are aware of being fictional characters in a video game; this is known as breaking the '''fourth wall'''. The reason it is called "fourth wall" is because the term originated from plays in theaters, when actors would look at the audience, talk to them, or do anything else that involved the audience. Because the stage would generally have a wall at the back and both sides, this concept involves the actors becoming involved with the audience who are at the front, which can be considered an invisible wall, making it the fourth one.
Sometimes, characters from the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]] perform an action that implies that they are aware that they are fictional characters. This is known as breaking the '''{{wp|fourth wall}}''', a phrase originating from stageplays. Because traditional {{wp|Box set (theatre)|box set}} stages have a wall at the back and another on each side, an imaginary "fourth wall" at the front turns the stage, and thereby the world of the story, into an enclosed space separate from the audience. The term is used, in many forms of media even beyond theater, to refer to a separation between the fictional characters and setting, and the work of fiction as it is experienced by the audience. As such, when the former acknowledges the latter, the metaphorical fourth wall is broken.


'''''Note:''' Video games frequently break the fourth wall in order to address the player with directions (i.e., "Press A to jump"). These instances are not to be recorded here, unless the characters are aware they are in a video game due to the remark.''
'''''Note:''' Video games frequently break the fourth wall in order to address the player with directions (e.g. "Press B to jump"). These instances are not to be recorded here, unless the characters otherwise show awareness that they are in a video game due to the remark.''
==History==
===[[Super Mario (series)|''Super Mario'' series]]===
====''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''====
[[File:SMAS LL World 9-4 Thank You Screenshot.png|thumb|250px|アリガトウ!, the message.]]
In the final level of [[World 9 (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels)|World 9]], [[World 9-4 (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels)|World 9-4]], groups of tile blocks can be found spelling out "アリガトウ!" (''Arigato!'', meaning "Thank You" in Japanese). Also, the opening of World 9-1 features a message saying "WE PRESENT FANTASY WORLD. LET'S TRY '9' WORLD WITH ONE GAME.", and the [[Game Over]] screen for World 9 has a message saying "YOU'RE A SUPER PLAYER! WE HOPE WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN. MARIO & STAFF."
<gallery>
Special Game Over.png|World 9 Game Over screen
</gallery>


==Games==
====''[[Super Mario World]]''====
===''Super Mario'' series===
[[File:SMW You are a super player.png|thumb|240px|The "YOU ARE A SUPER PLAYER!!" message at the end of Funky in ''Super Mario World'']]
====''[[Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels]]''====
After the [[Yoshi's Egg]]s hatch during the ending sequence, the words "THANK YOU" appear as Mario gives the V for victory sign to the player while Princess Toadstool (or Peach in the GBA remake) waves to the player. At the end of the remake, ''[[Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2]]'', there is no text, though the princess still waves at the player and Mario and [[Luigi]] still flash the peace sign. In the last level of the [[Special Zone]], [[Funky (level)|Funky]], a group of coins spells out the phrase "YOU ARE A SUPER PLAYER!!" near the end of the level. In the Japanese version of the original game, the "A" is absent.
[[File:THANK YOU SMBTLL.png|thumb|right|250px|アリガトウ!, the message found in 9-4.]]
<gallery>
In the final level of [[World 9 (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels)|World 9]], a group of tile blocks can be found spelling out "アリガトウ!" (''Arigato!'', meaning "Thank You" in Japanese). Also, the opening of World 9-1 features a message saying "WE PRESENT FANTASY WORLD. LET'S TRY '9' WORLD WITH ONE GAME.", and the [[Game Over]] screen for World 9 has a message saying "YOU'RE A SUPER PLAYER! WE HOPE WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN. MARIO & STAFF."
SMWend.png|The ending sequence
</gallery>


====''[[Super Mario World]]''====
====''[[Super Mario 64]]'' / ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]''====
[[File:YOU ARE A SUPER PLAYER SMW.png|thumb|left|240px|Part of the Coin message in ''[[Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2]]''.]]
At the game's title's screen, Mario speaks to the player with lines such as "''It's-a me, Mario!''", "''Hello!''", and "''Press Start to play!''"
After the [[Yoshi Egg]]s hatch during the ending sequence, the words "THANK YOU" appear as Mario gives the V for victory sign to the player while Princess Toadstool (or Peach in the GBA remake) waves to the player. At the end of the remake, ''[[Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2]]'', there is no text, though the princess still waves at the player and Mario and [[Luigi]] will still flash the peace sign. In the last level of the [[Special World]], [[Funky (Super Mario World)|Funky]], a group of coins spell out the phrase, "YOU ARE A SUPER PLAYER!!" near the end of the level (in the Japanese version, the coins spelled "YOU ARE SUPER PLAYER!!").


====''[[Super Mario 64]]'' / ''[[Super Mario 64 DS|DS]]''====
In the two versions, after Bowser is defeated in [[Bowser in the Sky]], he exclaims, "''C'mon, troops! Let's watch the ending together! Gwa ha ha!''" Additionally, if Mario retrieves all 120 or 150 Power Stars and then defeats Bowser, he says, "''Just you wait until next time. Until then, keep that Control Stick smokin'! Bwaa ha ha!''" In the case of ''Super Mario 64 DS'', Bowser mentions the Touch Screen instead of the Control Stick, as the [[Nintendo DS]] does not feature a control stick; in the ''[[Super Mario 3D All-Stars]]'' version of ''Super Mario 64'', he specifically refers to the L Stick.
At the game's title's screen, Mario will speak to the player with lines such as '''''"It's-a-me, Mario! Hello!"''''' and '''''"Press Start to play!"'''''. At the ending sequence, Mario (or Yoshi in the remake) points his face to the player.


In the two versions, after Bowser is defeated in [[Bowser in the Sky]], he will exclaim, '''''"C'mon, troops! Let's watch the ending together! Gwa ha ha!"''''' Additionally, if Mario retrieves all 120 Power Stars and then defeats Bowser, the Koopa King will say, '''''"Just you wait until next time. Until then, keep that Control Stick smokin'! Bwaa ha ha!"''''' In the case of ''Super Mario 64 DS'', Bowser says the same thing after all 150 stars are collected, however he mentions the Touch Screen instead of the Control Stick, as the Nintendo DS does not feature a Control Stick.
After the end credits in both versions, Mario is heard saying, "''Thank you so much-a for-to playing my game!''" He uses the same phrase in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'', ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'', and ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]'', though he removes the "-a" from "much" and the "to" from "for."


After the end credits in both versions, Mario is heard saying, '''''"Thank you so much-a for-to playing my game!"''''' He uses the same phrase in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' and its successor, ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'', though he removes the "-a" from "much" and the "to" from "for".
In the N64 version, after Mario collects all 120 Stars, shoots to the top of the castle, and talks to Yoshi, he gives Mario the following message: "''Thanks for playing Super Mario 64! This is the end of the game, but not the end of the fun. We want you to keep on playing, so we have a little something for you. We hope you like it! Enjoy! --The Super Mario 64 Team''" This is followed by Mario's lives counter going up to 100 and getting an enhanced triple jump.


In the N64 version, after Mario collects all 120 stars, shoots to the top of the castle and talks to Yoshi, he gives Mario the following message: '''''"Thanks for playing Super Mario 64! This is the end of the game, but not the end of the fun. We want you to keep on playing, so we have a little something for you. We hope you like it! Enjoy! --The Super Mario 64 Team"'''''
In the case of ''Super Mario 64 DS'', upon closing the [[Nintendo DS]] while playing, Mario says "''Buh-bye!''" to the player, after which the system goes into standby. When the system is opened, he says "''It's-a me, Mario!''" This also happens in ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]''


In the case of ''Super Mario 64 DS'', upon closing the [[Nintendo DS]] while playing , Mario says "'''''Buh-bye!'''''" to the player, after which the system goes into standby. When the system is opened, he says '''''"It's-a-me, Mario!"''''' This also happens in ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]''.
When the player defeats the [[King Bob-omb|Big Bob-omb]] in [[Bob-omb Battlefield]], the Big Bob-omb says, "''Just select this Star from the menu.''"


When the player defeats [[King Bob-omb]] in [[Bob-omb Battlefield]], King Bob-omb will say ''"Just select this star from the menu. For now, farewell."''
In ''Super Mario 64 DS'', if the player talks to [[Koopa the Quick]] after a race, he tells the player, "''If you want to race me again, come back later. All you have to do is press START to pause and then select Exit Course.''"


====''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''====
====''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''====
After Mario defeats Bowser and Bowser Jr., a certain yellow [[Pianta]] in [[Delfino Plaza]] will ponder whether the game is over and express his hopes of something else happening when Mario talks to him.
[[File:Pianta breaking fourth wall.png|thumb|A Pianta ponders whether this is the end of the game or not.]]
In the mission [[Scrubbing Sirena Beach]], the [[hotel manager]] tells Mario that time is running out and he must hurry, alluding to the timer on the bottom left of the screen indicating how much time Mario has left to clean up the beach. The mentions of the timer are also present in a few other missions, such as [[Piantas in Need]].
 
After Mario defeats Bowser and Bowser Jr. or enters [[Corona Mountain]] for the first time, a certain yellow [[Pianta]] in [[Delfino Plaza]] ponders whether the game is over and expresses his hopes of something else happening when Mario talks to him.


====''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]''====
====''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]''====
In the intro, when Mario is hit by the green shell, the words "Super Mario Bros." fall from the sky. A few seconds later, [[Small Mario]] runs near it, notices it isn't straight, and jumps to hit the words and straighten them, also causing "New" to appear next to "Super". This only happens after waiting a few seconds on the title screen.
In the intro, when Mario is hit by the green shell, the words "Super Mario Bros." fall from the sky. A few seconds later, [[Small Mario]] runs near it, notices it is misaligned, and jumps to hit the words and straighten them, also causing "New" to appear next to "Super". This only happens after waiting a few seconds on the title screen.


After the end credits, the Touch Screen shows [[Bowser Jr.]] dragging his unconscious father back to [[Bowser's Castle|their home]]. Bowser Jr. looks to the camera and threateningly growls at the player. He then resumes dragging Bowser.
After the end credits, the Touch Screen shows [[Bowser Jr.]] dragging his unconscious father back to [[Bowser's Castle|their home]]. Bowser Jr. looks to the camera and threateningly growls at the player. He then resumes dragging Bowser.


Similar to ''Super Mario 64 DS'', Mario will also say "Buh-bye!" to the player when closing the [[Nintendo DS]]. He also says "It's-a me! Mario!" when the player opens the DS and resumes the game, similar to the opening title screen in ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and similar to that in [[Super Mario 64 DS|its remake]].
Similar to ''Super Mario 64 DS'', Mario also says "Buh-bye!" to the player when closing the [[Nintendo DS]]. He also says "It's-a me! Mario!" when the player opens the DS and resumes the game, similar to the opening title screen in ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and similar to that in [[Super Mario 64 DS|its remake]].


The enemies and power-ups do a small dance when there is a little "bah bah" vocal in the music, such as a Goombas jumping up in the air and Koopa Troopas will turn to the screen for a split second and rock their fists. This actually affects gameplay, as a Goomba jumping at the wrong moment could result in the player hitting a Goomba in the face rather than its head, or the player could fall short of a Koopa Troopa due to it stopping for a moment.
The enemies and power-ups do a small dance when there is a little "[[Paah]]" vocal (or a windchime when underwater) in the music, such as Goombas jumping up in the air and Koopa Troopas turning to the screen for a split second and rocking their fists.


====''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''====
====''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''====
Much like the ending to ''Super Mario 64'', after the credits roll, Mario or Luigi will say "''Thank you so much for playing my game''" (Luigi, however, removes the "so much" part of the sentence). When 120 Power Stars are collected, after Mario or Luigi thanked the player, Rosalina will also thank the player and says  "''I will watch over you from beyond the stars.''"
Much like the ending to ''Super Mario 64'', after the credits roll, Mario or Luigi says "''Thank you so much for playing my game''" (Luigi, however, removes the "so much" part of the sentence). When 120 Power Stars are collected, after Mario or Luigi thanked the player, Rosalina also thanks the player and says  "''I will watch over you from beyond the stars.''"


====''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]''====
====''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]''====
When [[Airship|Bowser's Airship]] takes off without [[Bowser Jr.]] aboard, he faces the player with a surprised look. He will also look surprised at the player if all the characters bubble or one of them bubbles and the other three take a [[Warp Pipe]].
In the credits, the players play a minigame where they break blocks to earn coins. These blocks have the credits written on them. If less than four players are playing, the characters not controlled will dance to the music.


Also, in the credits, the players play a minigame where they break blocks to earn coins. These blocks have the credits written on them. If less than four players are playing, the characters not controlled will dance to the music.
The enemies still do a dance to the "Paah" vocals in the music, along with the items and flowers bouncing and blooming to the beat. Also, when underwater, the [[Cheep Cheep]]s do a spin whenever there is a windchime in the music and [[Dry Bones]] rotate their head when a xylophone sound plays in the [[Tower|fortresses]].
 
The enemies still do a dance to the "bah bah" vocals in the music, along with the items and flowers bouncing and blooming to the beat. Also, when underwater, the [[Cheep Cheep]]s do a spin whenever there's a windchime in the music.


====''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]''====
====''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]''====
If the player's [[Wii#Wii Remote|Wii Remote]] batteries are low, and they talk to [[Lubba]], he will warn the player about the batteries running out in a dangerous place. He will frequently make these kinds of references, such as suggesting that the player go to bed when it is late, or to turn off the game after a certain playing time, especially after getting a [[Game Over]], or tell the player to take a break before playing again. Additionally, if the player plays the game at an early time, [[Lubba]] will say he is sleepy and that it is rather late to be adventuring.
If the player's [[Wii#Wii Remote|Wii Remote]] batteries are low, and they talk to [[Lubba]], he warns the player about the batteries running out in a dangerous place. He frequently makes these kinds of references, such as suggesting that the player go to bed when it is late, or to turn off the game after a certain playing time, especially after getting a [[Game Over]], or tell the player to take a break before playing again. Additionally, if the player plays the game at an early time, [[Lubba]] says he is sleepy and that it is rather late to be adventuring.


Sometimes, when the player gets [[Extra life|extra lives]] while there are either two or three save files in the game, [[Mailtoad]] says ''"So this person you share a special bond... Could it be someone from another save file?"''.
Sometimes, when the player gets [[Extra life|extra lives]] while there are either two or three save files in the game, [[Mailtoad]] says "''So this person you share a special bond... Could it be someone from another save file?''".


Before the battle with the [[Whomp King]] in [[Throwback Galaxy]], he will say "Let's see you try and ground-pound the Whomp King again!" which means he is the same Whomp King that Mario fought in ''[[Super Mario 64]]''. He will also try and say his opening lines he used in ''Super Mario 64'', but before saying he is tired of this speech.
If the player has 70 to 120 [[Power Star]]s, then at the end of the credits, Mario says "''Thank you so much for playing my game''", much like in the previous game and ''Super Mario 64'' and ''Super Mario 64 DS''. When playing as Luigi, he says the same thing as its predecessor.
 
If the player has 70 to 120 [[Power Star]]s, then at the end of the credits, Mario says ''"Thank you so much for playing my game"'', much like in the previous game and ''Super Mario 64'' and ''Super Mario 64 DS''. When playing as Luigi, he will say the same thing as its predecessor.
 
If the player gets a [[Game Over]] or goes to a [[world]] for the first time, [[Lubba]] will speak to the player.


If the player gets a [[Game Over]] or goes to a [[world]] for the first time, [[Lubba]] speaks to the player.


====''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]''====
====''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]''====
When Mario/Luigi completes a level, they will face the player.
Before the final battle in [[World 8-Bowser: Part 2]], as the floor beneath him and [[Mario]] begins to crack, [[Bowser]] looks at the player with a worried look.
 
When Mario finds Peach at [[World 8-Bowser: Part 2|Bowser's Castle]], Bowser falls from the ceiling and punches the ground, cracking it. When the ground is about to break, Bowser faces the screen with a worried expression on his face.
 
If the player continuously keeps on losing lives or plays for a long time, a notification tells the player to take a break.


In [[Special 8-Crown]], a group of [[Snake Panel]]s near the end will be activated to spell out the phrase "THANK YOU!!" similar to other thanking messages in ''Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels'' and ''Super Mario World''.
In [[Special 8-Crown]], a group of [[Flip Panel (platform)|Flip Panel]]s near the end activate to spell out the phrase "THANK YOU!!" similar to other thanking messages in ''Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels'' and ''Super Mario World''.


====''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]''====
====''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]''====
[[File:Roy on a D.png|thumb|130px|Roy's tail on the "D"]]
[[File:Roy on a D.png|thumb|left|Roy's tail on the letter "D"]]
Near the end of the game intro, [[Ludwig von Koopa]] uses his [[Magic Wand|magic wand]] to make the title and multiple [[coin]]s fall from the sky. This only happens when watching the intro after a few seconds on the title screen.  
Near the end of the game intro, [[Ludwig|Ludwig von Koopa]] uses his [[magic wand]] to make the title and multiple [[coin]]s fall from the sky. This only happens when watching the intro after a few seconds on the title screen.  


In the credits, [[Roy Koopa]] hangs off the D of EAD with his tail.  
In the credits, [[Roy|Roy Koopa]] hangs off the D of EAD with his tail.  


After Bowser's battle in the [[Gold Classics Pack|Gold Classics]] [[Coin Rush]] pack, many coins form the sentence "THANK YOU!!" once again.  
After Bowser's battle in the [[Gold Classics Pack|Gold Classics]] [[Coin Rush]] pack, many coins form the sentence "THANK YOU!!" once again.  


The enemies still do a dance at the "bah bah" vocals.
The enemies still do a dance at the "Paah" vocals.
{{br}}
 
====''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]'' / ''[[New Super Luigi U]]'' / ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe]]''====
[[File:NSMBU Mario Looking at the Player.png|thumb|250px|Early screenshot showing Mario staring at the screen.]]
On the title screen, the characters ground pound to make the title and two [[Super Acorn]]s appear.  


====''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]'' and ''[[New Super Luigi U]]''====
During a level, if any of the characters are left idle when the player does not pause the game, after a certain amount of time, they will turn and stare at them.  
[[File:Squirrel Trees MarioWiiU.png|thumb|250px|Early screenshot showing Mario staring at the screen.]]
On the title screen, the characters ground pound to make the title and two [[Super Acorn]]s appear.


If the characters are idle, they stare at the screen. [[Baby Yoshi]]s have an added choir to all the music that they mouth to.
The enemies still do a dance to the vocals in the music. [[Baby Yoshi]]s have an added choir to all the music that they mouth to.


In the credits, the characters not being played dance to the music, and when a character being played runs near the credit letters, they spin around.
In the credits, the characters not being played dance to the music, and when a character being played runs near the credit letters, they spin around.


The enemies still do a dance to the vocals.
====''[[Super Mario 3D World]]'' / ''[[Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury]]''====
{{br}}
When the player starts up the game, [[Mario]], [[Luigi]], [[Princess Peach]], and [[Toad]] yell out the game's name, followed by one of them saying, "Meow!", along with [[Rosalina]] if the player has unlocked her.  


====''[[Super Mario 3D World]]''====
The flowers and bushes move along to the music.<ref>{{cite|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1XoHPJSAbQ|author=Mankalor|date=June 15, 2014|title=''Super Mario 3D World'' - More Details You May Not Have Noticed|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=June 26, 2024|language=en}}</ref>
When the player starts up the game, [[Mario]] [[Luigi|and]] [[Princess Peach|his]] [[Toad|friends]] yell out "Super Mario 3D World!"


The flowers and bushes move along to the music.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1XoHPJSAbQ]</ref>
The green [[Sprixie Princesses|Sprixie Princess]] waves to the screen near the end of the credits scene.


The [[Sprixie Princesses|Green Sprixie Princess]] waves to the screen near the end of the credits scene.
Upon completion of [[Bowser's Lava Lake Keep]] for the first time, once the transition occurs, shortly after, Bowser's voice can be heard as he pulls back the transition to reveal that he has captured the Sprixies once more.


Upon completion of [[Bowser's Lava Lake Keep]] for the first time, once the transition occurs, shortly after, Bowser's laugh can be heard as he pulls back the transition to reveal that he has captured the Sprixies once more.
At the end of [[Champion's Road]] is a series of [[Clear Pipe]]s forming the message "THANK YOU!!" just before the [[Goal Pole]] area.


At the end of [[Champion's Road]] is a series of [[Clear Pipe]]s forming the message "THANK YOU!!" just before the [[Goal Pole]] area.
During the credits for ''Bowser's Fury'', [[Bowser Jr.]] appears and hums to the music. He waves to the player before he leaves.


====''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''====
====''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''====
In the E3 demo for ''Super Mario Odyssey'', a NPC says, "We'll have to wait for the full game to go any further."<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA6wrwwbggc&t=265</ref>
Like the previous game, when the player starts up the game, Mario yells out the game's name.


The Mario 64 Cap and Outfit could possibly also be considered a fourth wall break as well, as it is a reference to the polygonal textures used in ''Super Mario 64'', which the outfit originated from. Additionally, the Toad blocking the doorway to the Courtyard room in the Mushroom Kingdom states that he misses "Mario's blocky polygonal look", which in turn, refers to the block like textures used in said game.
In the E3 demo for ''Super Mario Odyssey'', a [[New Donker]] says, "We'll have to wait for the full game to go any further."<ref>{{cite|language=en|author=Nintendo World Report TV|date=June 21, 2017|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA6wrwwbggc&t=265|timestamp=04:25|title=''Super Mario Odyssey'' Finding Pauline's Band (E3 2017)|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=June 26, 2024}}</ref>
 
The Mario 64 Cap and Outfit could possibly be considered a fourth wall break, as it is a reference to the polygonal textures used in ''[[Super Mario 64]]'', where the outfit originated. Additionally, the Toad blocking the doorway to the Courtyard room in the Mushroom Kingdom states that he misses "Mario's blocky polygonal look", which also refers to the block like textures used in said game.
 
In a similar vein to the Mario 64 Cap and Outfit, the 8-Bit Mario Cap could possibly also be considered a fourth wall break as well, as it is a reference to the sprites used in ''Super Mario Bros.'', which was the outfit's origin.


In the [[Darker Side]], a series of power lines that Mario must travel across by [[capture|capturing]] a [[spark pylon]] spell out the message "THANK YOU" just before the [[Warp Pipe]] that leads Mario to the area containing the "[[Long Journey's End]]" [[Multi Moon]].
In the [[Darker Side]], a series of power lines that Mario must travel across by [[capture|capturing]] a [[spark pylon]] spell out the message "THANK YOU" just before the [[Warp Pipe]] that leads Mario to the area containing the "[[Long Journey's End]]" [[Multi Moon]].


===[[Donkey Kong (franchise)|''Donkey Kong'' franchise]]===
After the credits that appear after the player completes the main game, Mario says, "Thank you so much for playing my game!" like several other games in the series.
Throughout the franchise, from ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]'' onward, whenever the player visits [[Cranky Kong]] he constantly remarks about how the games of yesteryear are superior to modern games, and often whines about how the game that he's in is too easy for someone like him to complete. The instruction booklets also contain even more remarks of this nature.
 
====''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]''====
If the player reaches [[WONDER?]], the final level, the message inside thanks them for playing and calls them a "super wonder".
 
[[Talking Flower]]s also break the fourth wall occasionally:
*If the player turns off their voice in the menu, a flower will exclaim, ''"Oh! Was it something I said?"''
*In the [[Badge House in Pipe-Rock Plateau]], one of the Talking Flowers instructs the player on how to use the [[Badge (Super Mario Bros. Wonder)#Action Badges|Parachute Cap badge]] by saying "''Press {{button|switch|R}} in midair!''" before commenting "''What is {{button|switch|R}}, anyway?''"
*After the end credits, a Talking Flower can be heard saying ''"Come back again sometime, yeah?"''
*If the player revisits WONDER?, a group of Talking Flowers will thank the player for playing.
 
===[[Mario's Time Machine (PC)|''Mario's Time Machine'' (PC)]]===
The final area is [[Novato]] in 1993 (1994 in the ''Deluxe'' re-release), where the game itself is being developed. [[Bowser]] had used the [[timulator]] to steal the [[Floppy Disk]] containing the final version of the game in an attempt to prevent the game from ever existing so that Mario cannot stop him. Mario encounters several of the game's developers, including [[David Grenewetzki]], [[Andrew Iverson]], [[Don Lloyd]], and [[Jeff Griffeath]], and helps them finish development of the game, eventually returning the Floppy Disk to David Grenewetzki so that the game can be released.
 
===''[[Hotel Mario]]''===
During the intro of the game, after [[Mario]] says that they must find [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]], [[Luigi]] points to the screen and says "''And you gotta help us!''" In turn, Mario says "''If you need instructions on how to get through the hotels, check out the enclosed instruction book.''"
 
Throughout the other cutscenes of the game, Mario and Luigi continue to speak with the player. These lines include Luigi saying "''Looks can be deceiving when Koopas are involved''" whilst facing the screen, and Mario saying "''Remind me to check''", "''You know what they say, all toasters toast toast''", "''Get the hint?''", and "''Be careful! When you pinch [[Wendy]]'s [[Penny (enemy)|pennies]], they pinch back''" whilst facing the screen.
 
At the end of the game, after Princess Toadstool thanks Mario and Luigi for saving her, she turns to the screen and thanks the player as well. Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool then all wave to the player while saying "''You're the best player ever!''"
<gallery>
HM Luigi.png|"And you gotta help us!"
HM Ending.png|"You're the best player ever!"
</gallery>
 
===''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]''===
After Mario and [[Mallow]] join [[Geno]] while he is fighting [[Bowyer]], Bowyer retorts that a three-on-one fight is not fair. To compensate for this, the Y, X, and A buttons of the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] controller appear in front of him. Bowyer then fires an [[Aero]] at one of the buttons, which effectively locks the ability to use that button's commands (magic, items, or attacks). Only one button can ever be locked at once, although Bowyer continually fires Aeroes at the buttons every few turns until he is defeated. This also happens when fighting [[Machine Made]] copies of Bowyer.
 
While [[Dodo]] is pecking the statues at [[Nimbus Land|Nimbus Castle]], he runs outside of the room's boundaries to sneakily peck Mario disguising as [[In Search of Lost Brother]].
 
Upon defeating [[Culex]], he mentions that "Perhaps in another time, another game, [he and Mario] may have been mortal enemies...", which also references how Culex parodies bosses from the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise.
 
During the ending sequence, there is a scene where Mario, Princess Toadstool, Yoshi, Toad, and the [[Chancellor]] wave at the player, with the words "''THANK YOU''" displayed at the top of the screen. The scene ends as the camera irises out on Mario, who then winks at the player.
 
In [[Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch)|the Nintendo Switch remake]], [[Guerrilla]]'s Thought Peek quote, "Don't confuse me with [[Donkey Kong|someone else]]!", is changed to "I am a work of fiction. Any resemblance to preexisting apes is purely coincidental." This is a more accurate translation of their thought quote in the Japanese version of the original game.
<gallery>
SMRPG Dodo OoB.png|thumb|Dodo beyond the room's boundaries
MarioRPGEndingScreen.png|The ending screen
</gallery>
 
===[[Mario Kart (series)|''Mario Kart'' series]]===
====''[[Mario Kart 64]]''====
After the credits, [[Mario]] says, "Hey, you're very good! See you next time!"
 
====''[[Mario Kart 7]]''====
[[File:MK7 endscreen.png|thumb|The ending screen of ''[[Mario Kart 7]]'', with all of the characters.]]
After the credits, Mario shouts "Thanks for playing! Way to go!" or "Thanks for playing! You're the best! Ha ha!" depending on how much the player has progressed during the game, and the default characters or all of the characters wave to the player, including their own [[Mii]].
 
====''[[Mario Kart 8]]''====
Mario yells out the game's name when the game starts; additionally, Mario has the chance to say "Start your engines!", followed by Toad saying, "Let's go!" After playing the ''Mario Kart 8'' demo, Mario also says, "Hey! Thanks for playing!"
In {{classic-link|N64|Toad's Turnpike}}, trucks with ''Mario Kart 8'' on the back and sides can be seen.
 
While in [[Mario Kart TV]], the player can tap on the [[Mii]]s to elicit an annoyed response from them.
 
Additionally, some tracks feature posters of the ''Mario Kart 8'' box art.
 
===[[Mario Golf (series)|''Mario Golf'' series]]===
====[[Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)|''Mario Golf'' (Nintendo 64)]]====
At the end of the game's intro, [[Wario]]'s voice is heard quietly saying, "''It should've been called Wario Golf. ...You're gonna love it!''"
 
====''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]''====
[[File:Waluigi camelot.png|thumb|Waluigi holding up the Camelot sign in the opening to ''Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour'']]
Most celebrations have the characters facing the screen at the end of each hole. For example, if [[Waluigi]] gets an [[eagle]] or better, he dances and spins all across the green until he points to the player, turning around upon realizing he is pointing the wrong way. Prior to the opening, Wario and Waluigi hold up signs for both [[Nintendo]] and [[Camelot Software Planning|Camelot]], respectively. This also occurs at the start of ''[[Mario Power Tennis]]''.
 
====''[[Mario Golf: World Tour]]''====
This is done in the same manner as in the previous game. For example, if [[Bowser]] gets an eagle or better, he runs to the screen and [[Fire Breath|breathes fire]], or punches the screen if he gets a [[List of golfing terms#Bogey|bogey]] or worse.
 
[[Birdo]] breaks the fourth wall by kissing the screen if she gets an eagle or better, or shoots eggs at the screen if she gets worse than a bogey. [[Yoshi]] breaks the fourth wall by turning into an egg and rolling into the screen if he gets worse than a bogey. [[Bowser Jr.]] breaks the fourth wall by using his [[magic brush]] to paint the screen if he gets an eagle, albatross, hole in one, or bogey.
<gallery>
BirdoEagle.jpg|Birdo after kissing the camera in her eagle animation
BirdoDoubleBogeyWorldTour.png|The screen broken after Birdo's double bogey animation
MGWT Bowser Jr Bogey.jpg|The screen covered in paint in Bowser Jr.'s bogey animation
Mgwt-bowser-birdie.jpg|Bowser holding the camera in his birdie animation
Mgwt-bowser-par.jpg|Bowser waving his finger at the camera in his par animation
Mgwt-bowser-bogey.jpg|The screen broken after Bowser's bogey animation
</gallery>


====''[[Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!]]''====
===[[Paper Mario (series)|''Paper Mario'' series]]===
If the [[Kong]]s manage to find [[Krematoa]] without speaking with [[Blunder]], he will say "''I can't believe you found the Lost World on your own! I bet you cheeky so and so's used [[Nintendo Power]]'s guide! I know I did!''"
In every game except ''Super Paper Mario'', Mario would turn to the camera and give a thumbs up pose.


====''[[Donkey Kong Barrel Blast]]''====
====''[[Paper Mario]]''====
If the player hovers over the "Back" button on the main menu, [[Diddy Kong]] will arrive and wave goodbye to the player.
[[File:PM Paper Bowser Sequel.png|thumb|left|The Koopa Bros.' "Paper Bowser" quote]]
[[File:PM Jr Troopa Fourth Wall.png|thumb|Jr. Troopa noticing his depleted HP]]
If [[Goombario]] uses [[Tattle]] on a [[Goomba]], the tattle mentions that they have been around since ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''


===[[Yoshi (franchise)|''Yoshi'' franchise]]===
While Mario is fighting [[Bowser???]], the [[Koopa Bros.]] try to lower his confidence by telling him that the phony Bowser is invincible. One of the lines they say is "''The sequel should be called Paper Bowser!''"
====''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]''====
In a secret area in [[Jungle Rhythm...]], there is a [[Message Block]] that gives the message ''"We, the Mario team poured our hearts and souls into creating this game for your entertainment. It is full of secrets. Enjoy!"''. In the [[Game Boy Advance]] [[remake]], the message is changed to ''"'How do you like this game? Goodies are hidden in every level, you know. You should look all over if you want to get 100 points! Investigate anything that looks suspicious."''.


====''[[Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3]]''====
At the beginning of the fourth fight against [[Jr. Troopa]], he actually notices his HP bar when it has dropped to half, and comments that he lost his HP due to swimming across the ocean.
If the player gets a perfect score in every stage, a message comes up saying ''"Congratulations! What an amazing job! You are the _____st Yoshi to adventure on Yoshi's Island."'' The number to be shown here is the number of lives spent before the game's completion plus one (for example, if the player has lost 300 lives before completing the game, the message says that they are the 301st Yoshi).


====''[[Yoshi's Story]]''====
At the end of the game, a [[Bumpty]] mentions that [[Herringway]] plans to write about [[Mario]]'s story, coming up with the title "Paper Mario".
Each time the player eats a [[Heart Fruit]] after playing a level's minigame, a row of Coins forming a letter will appear. If the player puts all the letters from each level in order, it reveals the message ''"YOU ARE YOSHIS GREAT PARTNER!"''
{{br}}


====''[[Yoshi's New Island]]''====
====''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''====
[[File:YNI 4th Wall.png|thumb|right|130px|Yellow Yoshi breaking the fourth wall.]]
[[File:PMTTYD Gus Video Game Heroes.png|thumb]]
If [[Yellow Yoshi]] is hit by a hammer in [[Fort Bucket Booby Trap]], he will be knocked into the screen and slide down it.
If Mario gets in the [[Danger]] status while fighting [[Gus]], he breaks the fourth wall by acknowledging that "''…it'll be Game Over for you!''" and that the player can choose their Tactics menu. After Mario defeats [[Gus]], he shouts, "''CRUD! You dumb video-game heroes always do this!''"


Also, after the credits, [[Bowser]], who is behind the credits screen, smashes the screen if the game is completed if the [[Flutter Wings]] were used in at least one level. He then tells the player that they will be able to fight him after completing every level without using the Flutter Wings.
A young Toad in [[Petalburg]] says, "There's this one game that just absolutely rules. It's called 'Fire Emblem'...". This reference was written shortly after the international release of [[fireemblem:Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade|''Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade'']], the first game in the series to be released outside Japan and seventh installment overall. ''Paper Mario'' and ''Fire Emblem'' are both developed by [[Intelligent Systems]]. In the Japanese version of the game, the Toad kid mentions ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' for the [[Family Computer]] instead. Later on, he states that he is a fan of [[Luigi]] and says he wants a game called "Paper Luigi". Afterwards, he mentions that he is actually playing the game ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'' and ends up beating it before the player does.<ref>{{cite|language=en|url=legendsoflocalization.com/legit-translation-or-clever-fire-emblem-advertisement|date=January 15, 2014|author=Mandelin, Clyde|title=Legit Translation… or Clever Fire Emblem Advertisement?|publisher=Legends of Localization|accessdate=June 26, 2024}}</ref>


====''[[Yoshi's Woolly World]]'' / ''[[Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World]]''====
In the original game, after rescuing [[Koopley]] from [[Hooktail]], [[Koops]] says: "''For ten long years we all thought you'd...you know! We thought your game was over!''"


In the [[Scrapbook Theater]], if the player presses the A button on the [[Ukiki]], it will scratch its head and look at the player after a few seconds.
While describing how the [[Happy Lucky Lottery]] works, [[Lucky]] explains that the daily number changes every day in real-time and that he uses the [[Nintendo GameCube]]'s clock as a reference. If the player sets the GameCube's date back in an attempt to cheat the system, Lucky penalizes them.


If the player is with [[Poochy]], he will dance if the player collects a [[Wonder Wool]] or collects a [[Smiley Flower]] that Poochy brings to them.
In [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door#Chapter 3: Of Glitz and Glory|Chapter 3]], [[Hamma Jamma]] says that [[World 7-1 (Super Mario Bros.)|7-1]] was his grandfather's 'hood'. In the Spanish version of the game, Rawk Hawk says "''The weaklings should stay home playing [[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]!''" after he beats [[The Koopinator]]. In the [[Nintendo Switch]] [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|remake]], this line was altered to instead mention ''[[Super Smash Bros. (series)|Super Smash Bros.]]'' as a series. When [[Goombella]] tattles on [[Stewart]] in [[Glitzville]], she tells Mario that [[Cheep Cheep]]s have been a part of the ''Super Mario'' franchise for a while. In fact, Goombella even says, "''Oh, gosh. I just broke through the fourth wall there, didn't I? Sorry. Just forget it.''"


In the fifth short in the remake ''[[Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World]]'', "Chaaarge!", Poochy looks and runs towards the viewer(s), Poochy then falls over when he hits the screen. Also in the short "What Goes Up... ?", after Poochy looks up for a bit, he then looks at the viewer(s) and wags his tail.
The same occurs when she tattles on the gatekeeper of [[Twilight Town]], in which she says that the game would be too easy without him. Rather than directly referring to breaking the fourth wall, she only says, "''Hee hee... Let's never speak of it again.''"


===[[Wario (franchise)|''Wario'' franchise]]===
[[Koops]] breaks the fourth wall after the fight with [[Doopliss]] where he says "''Sort of easy for a boss battle as it were.''" Unlike Goombella though, he does not seem to notice that he broke the fourth wall. Doopliss also breaks the fourth wall during the chapter by removing [[The Letter "p"|the letter "p"]] from the naming screen.
====''[[Wario's Woods]]''====
In the SNES version of ''Wario's Woods'', after defeating the player in the VS. COM mode, [[Sven]] will tell Toad that he was "glad that [the player] didn't reset the game when he saw it was hopeless."


====[[WarioWare (series)|''WarioWare'' series]]====
[[File:PMTTYD Professor Frankly fourth wall.png|thumb|Professor Frankly referring to the person "in front of the TV"]]
{{multiple image
{{multiple image
|align = left
|align=right
|direction = vertical
|footer=[[Lord Crump]] (disguised) referring to the person "in front of the TV" in the original game (left) and remake (right)
|footer = [[Heads Up]] and [[High-Speed Chase]] quite literally breaking the fourth wall.  
|image1=PMTTYD Lord Crump fourth wall.png
|width = 170
|width1=180
|image2=TTYDNS Four-Eyes Fourth Wall.jpg
|width2=210
}}
Just before Mario begins [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door#Chapter 5: The Key to Pirates|Chapter 5]], [[Professor Frankly]] is about to tell them very important and long information concerning [[the Thousand-Year Door]]. He asks if they are ready to hear it, and then says, "''And you there! In front of the TV! You listen up, too!''". In the [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|remake]], this line was changed to mention a screen instead of a TV to compensate for how the game can be played in handheld mode. Mario's current partner out questions Professor Frankly's statement:
*[[Goombella]]: "''TV? You don't have a TV! What in the world are you talking about?''" (GameCube) / "''Screen? What screen?! What in the world are you talking about?''" (Switch)
*[[Koops]]: "''Ummm... Who are you talking to, sir?''"
*[[Flurrie]]: "''I declare, you've gone batty. What TV? To whom are you speaking, Frankly?''" (GameCube) / "''Pardon? What screen? If I may speak frankly, Frankly, you're speaking utter nonsense!''" (Switch)
*[[Yoshi Kid]]: "''Did someone pile-drive your head, or what? I don't see any TV here, nutjob!''" (GameCube) / "''Did someone piledrive your head, or what? I don't see any screen here, Professor Poindexter!''" (Switch)
*[[Vivian]]: "''Maybe I'm missing something... Are you talking to no one?''"
*[[Ms. Mowz]]: "''You strange, strange man. What did THAT mean?''"
Frankly then yells at them, saying to disregard it as he continues. Later during the chapter, [[Lord Crump]] (under his alias, "Four Eyes") tells the player that they had better not tell Mario who he really is, though it is impossible to even use Mario to attack him until the end of the chapter. This line was also changed in the [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|remake]] to mention a screen instead of a TV.


| image1 = HeUp WWMM Lose.png
Outside of the room which contains the [[black chest]], Goombella says in her tattle, "''We're inside Pirate's Grotto. There's a sunken ship here. Something good inside? 'Cause that's how it always is in video games... right? ♥''"
| alt1 = Heads Up microgame.


| image2 = HiSpCh WWT Lose.png
After [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door#Chapter 6: 3 Days of Excess|Chapter 6]], when Bowser makes it to [[Rawk Hawk]]'s secret training facility, Rawk Hawk appears. As soon as he appears, he points at the camera insultingly asking the player if they forgot him. If the player returns to the [[Excess Express]], a young [[Toad (species)|Toad]] appears in Cabin 007. Should the player talk to him, he asks Mario a quiz: "''What did [[Bowser]] nab in the last [[Paper Mario]]''?" The options are "The Star Cookie", "The [[Star Rod (Paper Mario)|Star Rod]]", and "Someone's Lunch".
| alt2 = High-Speed Chase microgame.}}
 
=====''[[WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!]]''=====
In the [[Palace of Shadow]], if Mario allows the [[Dry Bones]] to force him to the center of the room, Mario's partner warns him that the floor will swallow them up. If Mario does not move to prevent this, his partner screams that they are doomed. If [[Yoshi Kid]] is Mario's partner at the time, he says, "''Awww, game over, man! WHOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAA!''" However, this one may be a reference to a famous line from ''{{wp|Aliens (film)|Aliens}}''.
In the microgame "[[Heads Up]]", if the player fails to catch the ball and it goes out of bounds, a hole will appear in the screen and the catcher will look at it.
 
====''[[Super Paper Mario]]''====
[[File:SPM Swoon exe.png|thumb|Swoon.exe]]
Several characters, the first one being [[Bestovius]], refer to a certain button when explaining how to perform an action. When Mario asks what they mean by pressing that certain button, the [[List of characters|character]] assures them not to worry, and that the great being that watches them (the player) will know what it means. For example, when encountered, [[Thoreau]] says: "''What's this {{button|wii|1}}, you say? You need not worry. The great being that watches us will know what it is.''" However, during [[Garson]]'s story "Stylish Moves," he states that Mario can perform one by shaking the Wii Remote; when Mario asks what the remote is, Garson replies, "''What? What's a {{button|wii|Wiimote}}? ...Don't worry. As long as the player gets it, we're fine,''" outright stating the existence of the player rather than alluding to them.
 
Before fighting him in [[The Bitlands|Chapter 3-1]], [[Bowser]] shouts to Mario, "''No more sequels!''" and that he will finish him off, describing himself as "''Grade A, 100% prime-cut final boss.''" Later, during [[Fort Francis|Chapter 3-4]], the last option for Princess Peach on the [[Swoon.exe]] results in her angrily demanding to know who is picking these answers for her.
 
The [[Sammer Guy]] [[List of Sammer Guys#Mystical Whistle|Mystical Whistle]] claims that no one can beat him without using hacks, a reference to players who use cheat codes and devices to make games easier. Another Sammer Guy named [[List of Sammer Guys#Invisible Brock|Invisible Brock]] claims that no one could find him without using a game guide.
 
[[The Underwhere]] itself is a break in the fourth wall, because its inhabitants say that their game had ended. As with the rest of the series, death is referred to as getting a game over.
{{br}}
 
====''[[Paper Mario: Sticker Star]]''====
During the introduction, after [[Bowser]] wears the [[Royal Sticker]], a [[Toad (species)|Toad]] can be seen stuck on the top-left corner of the screen for a few seconds before flying away.
 
If the player refuses to hear the [[Battle Spin]] tutorial four times, [[Kersti]] says "You know what? Forget you! Here--pick one of these answers so we can move on." The resulting answers are "Yes" and "Yeah", forcing the player to do the tutorial anyway.
 
When [[Mario]] uses a [[Slaphammer]] sticker and manages to do a "Nice" move or better, the enemy is flung in the air, and crash into the screen. This also happens with Mario when [[Bowser]] slaps him in the final phase of his fight.
 
When Mario uses any cutting Thing sticker in battle, it attacks by cutting the screen to pieces.
 
During a battle against a [[Snifit]] or a [[Shy Guy]], after the player's turn of 3 stickers ends, they might attack by shoving away the last attack panel; this forces the player to use only one sticker during their next turn, and Shy Guys and Snifits can do this repeatedly until there is only one attack panel.
 
In [[The Enigmansion]], when Mario is about to fight [[Big Boo]], the whole environment pauses as soon as Kamek passes by the screen, and resumes playing after leaving.
 
If Mario runs away from the fight with [[Bowser Jr.]] during [[Bowser Jr.'s Flotilla]], he proclaims himself final boss.


At the end of Mona's microgame category, she is looking at the customers while serving ice cream. The camera then irises out at her face, stops, and Mona winks at the player.
====''[[Paper Mario: Color Splash]]''====
[[File:PMCS Huey fourth wall.png|thumb|Huey breaks the fourth wall after he saves Mario.]]
Certain Thing Cards break the fourth wall when used in battle:
*When the Fan Thing Card is used, all of the enemies fly into the screen before falling.
*When the Turnip Thing Card is used, it slices the screen to pieces, much like the cutting Things in the previous games.
*When the Washing Machine Thing Card is used, the screen is rolled up and placed in the machine, which proceeds to wash it.


=====''[[WarioWare: Twisted!]]''=====
When [[Huey]] realizes that the red [[Mini Paint Star ]] in [[Ruddy Road]] has lost most of its color, he exclaims, "What in [[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels|The Lost Levels]] is going on here?"
In [[Orbulon]]'s story, the [[Alien Bunny]] wasn't rubbing strong enough. Orbulon then told the player, "You out there, take over."


In the microgame "[[High-Speed Chase]]", if the player fails to run from the chasing object, Wario will be sent towards the screen, breaking it.
At [[the Crimson Tower]], after Morton breaks the bridge, Mario can get advice from [[Huey]]. He says, "Morton broke the floor, so we can't get to the top! I wish life was a video game. Then we could just press {{button|wiiu|y}} to make a staircase appear!"


=====''[[Game & Wario]]''=====
Before Mario falls in [[Kiwano Temple]], [[Huey]] saves him and says that Mario would have seen the [[Game Over]] screen if not for him.
In the minigame [[Ashley (minigame)|Ashley]], [[Ashley]] will tell the player 'You with the GamePad! You're gonna have to guide me.'


Also, if the player blows on the GamePad, Ashley tries to cover her skirt as it goes up and will give the player an angry look.
When Mario fights a [[Slurp Snifit|Blue Slurp Snifit]] in battle, one of the things it says is "This is not a game!" due to the game itself having goofy humor.


=====''[[WarioWare Gold]]''=====
On [[Vortex Island]], a purple Toad wants to reach the [[Save Block]] behind a metal pole. He is worried and resists the urge to "power off," and goes to save his progress once Mario hammers down the pole.
In the microgame "[[Parking Lot Problems]]", if a player fails to choose any car by the end of the microgame, the person will stop and angrily look towards the player.


In [[5-Volt]]’s stage, when the player fails a [[microgame]], she may ask “Did your hand slip?”
In ''[[Snifit or Whiffit]]'' at the [[Cobalt Base]], the [[Snifit]] warns Mario that making a mistake in the Bonus Round gives him an instant Game Over and the save file will disappear forever. Shortly after he says this, he says he is just kidding about the disappearing save file, but is serious about the instant Game Over in the Bonus Round.
[[File:PMCS Mustard Cafe Mario jail.png|thumb|A Snifit in the [[Snifit Undersand Hideout]] breaking the fourth wall.]]
Underneath the [[Mustard Café]], a yellow Snifit throws Mario in jail and threatens him not to escape before realizing that they cannot do anything other than throwing him in jail without changing the age rating of the game.


During the [[Wario Deluxe]] stage, after the sequence where Wario Deluxe hides the control hints, [[Lulu]] pops some balloons on his hot air balloon and jumps on him to grab the gold potty, after which she looks at the screen and says, "Hey! Hey you! I'll take care of Wario here. You go and win this thing!"
[[File:PMCS Larry fourth wall.png|left|thumb|Larry breaks the fourth wall.]]
If Mario runs away from Larry and comes back, Larry says, "The Sunset Express and the Big Paint Star both belong to me! But if you're really itching to see that Game Over screen, come at me!"


====''[[Wario Land 4]]''====
When Mario repaints a green [[Toad (species)|Toad]] at the beginning of [[Mossrock Theater]], the Toad says that the forest is creepy. He continues, "I mean, just listen to this music!" referring to the music in the level.
In the minigame [[Wario's Homerun Derby]], if the player hits a home run, the ball will be sent toward the screen, breaking it.


In the manual, Wario complains about his transformations caused by enemies and blames the developers.
After the green [[Big Paint Star]] is collected and the final memory is seen, Huey says that the game's events would not have happened if a "no mixing colors" sign was put next to the Prisma Fountain.


====''[[Wario World]]''====
When the player beats the game, the Toad with the ''[[Prisma Times]]'' in [[Port Prisma]] says "Prisma Fountain Restored! Game Beaten! Not sure what "game beaten" means, but would you like to watch the Prisma Splash parade again?"
In ''Wario World'', Wario states "So admit it..... Don't I look cool in the game screens? Those long, muscular legs on my sturdy toned frame.... I'm the perfect specimen of a man ..... What!?!? You say I look fat and my quadruple chin looks like a waterfall of flab? Shut up! That's just because you have your television set up on widescreen display!"


Whenever the player pauses the game, Wario will constantly sing, "Na Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na Na!" If the player listens for about 58 minutes, Wario will eventually say, "Sorry" and stop singing.
====''[[Paper Mario: The Origami King]]''====
[[File:PMTOK Bowser fourth wall.png|thumb|Bowser breaks the fourth wall in ''[[Paper Mario: The Origami King]]'']]
If Mario tries to go through the locked door on the right of Peach's Castle, Bowser mentions that there is probably nothing on the other side and they should patch the rest of the castle in, referring to the developers of the game.


====''[[Wario Land: Shake It!]]''====
In Toad Town, if Mario is attacked by the Paper Macho Goomba with a Shy Guy stuck in it, the Shy Guy says, "Don’t get a game over before you save me!"
If the [[Wii#Wii Remote|Wii Remote]] is left idle, Wario may say, "Come on, pick it up and play."


===Spin-offs===
After Mario defeats [[Colored Pencils]], he states that Mario is better when he was a side-scroller.
====[[Mario Golf (series)|''Mario Golf'' series]]====
=====[[Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)|''Mario Golf'' (Nintendo 64)]]=====
At the end of the game's intro, [[Wario]]'s voice is heard quietly saying, ''"It should've been called Wario Golf. ...You're gonna love it!"''


=====''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]''=====
If Mario constantly refuses to allow [[Bob-omb (Paper Mario: The Origami King)|Bob-omb]] to join the party in the Toad Tram, Olivia states they will never reach [[Autumn Mountain]] at this rate, urging the player to let Bob-omb join in order to progress with the game.
[[File:Waluigi_camelot.png|thumb|Waluigi, holding up the Camelot sign in the opening to ''Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour''.]]
Most celebrations have the characters facing the screen at the end of each hole. As an example, whenever [[Waluigi]] gets an [[Eagle]] or better, he will dance and spin all across the green until he points to the player, turning around upon realizing he is pointing the wrong way. Prior to the opening, Wario and Waluigi hold up signs for both [[Nintendo]] and [[Camelot Software Planning|Camelot]] respectively. This also occurs at the start of ''[[Mario Power Tennis]]''.


=====''[[Mario Golf: World Tour]]''=====
Before the performances in [[Shogun Studios]], one of the rules that [[Rubber Band]] states is that opening the menu while on stage is prohibited. This also happens with the [[Shangri-Spa Toad]] statue at [[Scuffle Island]].
This is done in the same manner as in the previous game. For example, if [[Bowser]] gets an Eagle or better, then he'll run to the screen and [[Fire Breath|breathe fire]], or punch the screen if he gets a [[Bogey]] or worse. This is also likely due because of a [[Lakitu]] holding a camera, but he is not seen anywhere.


Toadette breaks the fourth wall when getting the Eagle or Birdie, she gives the player a wink (although Lakitu is clearly holding the camera). Princess Peach also breaks the fourth wall when holding the flower, she also gives the player a wink during her Eagle animation.
Moments after [[Bowser Jr.]] gets deprived of his color and energy at the [[Spring of Jungle Mist]], [[Kamek]] will react with a blank text box, then state that he was so shocked that all of the color drained from his "typeface" just then.


====''[[Mario Power Tennis]]''====
Just before the second phase of [[King Olly]]'s boss fight, Bowser (just after being folded into a giant origami sumo wrestler by Olivia) declares to show the former how a "real final boss fights".
In his singles celebration, after eating Luigi, Yoshi looks at the player and shrugs. Donkey Kong also looks at the player and scratches his head in his singles celebration after grabbing his trophy from Toad, causing him to pass out.


====[[Mario Party (series)|''Mario Party'' series]]====
===[[Mario Party (series)|''Mario Party'' series]]===
=====''[[Mario Party 3]]''=====
====''[[Mario Party]]''====
If the player completes Story Mode with all S's, the [[Millennium Star]] will tell the player, ''"You're spectacular. Truly spectacular. I imagine the development staff of Mario Party 3 is pleased as well. Keep up the good work."''
On [[Peach's Birthday Cake]], landing on a Happening Space and purchasing a Strawberry Seed for 30 coins to grow a Piranha Plant prompts the Goomba to say "''Isn't it a pretty flower?''", followed by the player's character slowly turning around and awkwardly looking at the player. In this game only, the same action occurs when being forced into buying a Ztar on [[Mario's Rainbow Castle]].


On the character select screen, each character will say "Good choice!" when chosen (except Yoshi and Donkey Kong). They say this again in ''[[Mario Party 4]]''.
====''[[Mario Party 3]]''====
If the player completes Story Mode with all S's, the [[Millennium Star]] tells the player, "''You're spectacular. Truly spectacular. I imagine the development staff of Mario Party 3 is pleased as well. Keep up the good work.''"


=====''[[Mario Party 5]]''=====
On the character select screen, each character says "Good choice!" when chosen (except Yoshi and Donkey Kong). They say this again in ''[[Mario Party 4]]'' and ''5''.
[[File:Head Watier Wario Loses.png|thumb|The fourth wall's effect in the minigame Head Waiter.]]
When the Bowser-shaped bomb explodes in [[Head Waiter]], the person holding it will fly into the screen, tilting it.


=====''[[Mario Party 6]]''=====
====''[[Mario Party 5]]''====
[[Peach]] and [[Toad]] will say "Good choice!" when selected. Also [[Wario]] will say "You'll get, Wario!" when selected.
[[File:MP5 Head Waiter fail.gif|thumb|The fourth wall's effect in the minigame Head Waiter]]
When the Bowser-shaped bomb explodes in [[Head Waiter]], the person holding it flies into the screen, tilting it.


=====''[[Mario Party Advance]]''=====
====''[[Mario Party 6]]''====
After a round of Bowser Land, Bowser looks at the player, saying, ''"That was fun! Come again soon!"''.
[[Peach]] and [[Toad]] say, "Good choice!" when selected, just like in ''Mario Party 4'' and ''5''. Also, [[Wario]] says, "You've picked Wario!" when selected. This also happens in ''[[Mario Party 7]]''.


=====''[[Mario Party 8]]''=====
====''[[Mario Party Advance]]''====
When starting the game, [[MC Ballyhoo]] flies up into the air toward the camera, telling the player, "Welcome to the Star Carnival!"
After a round of Bowser Land, Bowser looks at the player, saying, "''That was fun! Come again soon!''"


After MC Ballyhoo is concerned with Bowser having stolen the [[Star Rod (Mario Party 8)|Star Rod]], he says, "But wait! We have YOU!", referring to the player.
====''[[Mario Party 8]]''====
When starting the game, [[MC Ballyhoo]] flies up into the air toward the camera, telling the player, "''Welcome to the Star Carnival!''"


On the [[Star Carnival Stage]], there are two screens which shows an 8-bit sprite of the words "MARIO PARTY 8."
After MC Ballyhoo is concerned with Bowser having stolen the [[Star Rod (Mario Party 8)|Star Rod]], he says, "''But wait! We have YOU!''", referring to the player.


=====''[[Mario Party 9]]''=====
On the [[Star Carnival Stage]], there are two screens that show an 8-bit sprite of the words "MARIO PARTY 8."
On the main menu, [[Yellow Toad]] speaks to the player.


When [[Toad]] or [[Wario]] are chosen on the character selection screen, Wario might say "Good choice!" and Toad might say "Great choice!"
====''[[Mario Party 9]]''====
On the main menu, [[Toad (species)|Yellow Toad]] speaks to the player.


When the players land on a [[Bowser Space]], [[Bowser]] roars, and it breaks the screen. This doesn't happen on [[Bowser Station]].
When [[Wario]] or [[Toad]] are chosen on the character selection screen, they might say "Good choice!"


In some of the Superstar celebrations, the characters will do something that makes them face the screen. An example is at the end of [[Magikoopa]]'s, when he points his [[wand]] to the screen.
When the players land on a [[Bowser Space]], [[Bowser]] roars, and it breaks the screen. This does not happen on [[Bowser Station]].


=====''[[Mario Party 10]]''=====
====''[[Mario Party 10]]''====
When a character releases Bowser with all of the numbers on the [[Dice Block]], Bowser appears by slashing through the screen with his claws (except for [[Chaos Castle]]). This also applies to the end of the Bowser Battle minigames during Bowser Party and amiibo Party as well as the North American commercial showing the gameplay for Bowser Party.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCJF5A2HEuw ''Mario Party 10'' US Commercial: Bowser Party]</ref>
When a character releases Bowser with all of the numbers on the [[Dice Block]], Bowser appears by slashing through the screen with his claws (except for [[Chaos Castle]]). This also applies to the end of the Bowser Battle minigames during Bowser Party and amiibo Party as well as the North American commercial showing the gameplay for Bowser Party.<ref>{{cite|language=en-us|date=March 3, 2015|author=Nintendo of America|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCJF5A2HEuw|title=''Mario Party 10'' US Commercial: Bowser Party|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=June 26, 2024}}{{dead link}}</ref>


=====''[[Mario Party: Star Rush]]''=====
====''[[Mario Party: Star Rush]]''====
[[File:Bowser's Fence Fury.png|thumb|[[Wario]] and [[Donkey Kong]] hitting the screen in Bowser's Fence Fury.]]
[[File:Bowser's Fence Fury.png|thumb|[[Donkey Kong]] and [[Wario]] hitting the screen in Bowser's Fence Fury.]]
In [[Bowser's Fence Fury]], players who get knocked by Bowser hit and crack the screen.
In [[Bowser's Fence Fury]], players who get knocked by Bowser hit and crack the screen.


During the minigame [[Rolls for Moles]], if the player scores a Perfect in the minigame, the last [[Monty Mole]] hit by the ball will bump into the top screen and slide down it.
During the minigame [[Rolls for Moles]], if the player scores a Perfect in the minigame, the last [[Monty Mole]] hit by the ball bumps into the top screen and slides down it.
 
====''[[Super Mario Party]]''====
After the end credits, [[Toad]], [[Toadette]], and [[Kamek]] wave to the player and eventually, all of the playable characters also wave to the player along with a text that reads "Thanks for playing!" similar to the scene after the staff credits in ''[[Mario Party: Island Tour]]''.


====[[Mario Kart (series)|''Mario Kart'' series]]====
====''[[Super Mario Party Jamboree]]''====
=====''[[Mario Kart 64]]''=====
In the Koopathlon mode, before the Survivathon minigame begins, [[Impostor Bowser]] appears by punching and breaking the screen. When landing on a [[Bowser Space]] on [[King Bowser's Keep]], Impostor Bowser may sometimes punch the roulette while it is spinning, causing it to shatter.
After the credits, [[Mario]] will say; "Hey, you're very good! See you next time!"


=====''[[Mario Kart 7]]''=====
After the credits in Party-Planner Trek, text reading "Thank you for playing!" will appear, along with the playable cast posing for the player.
[[File:MK7 endscreen.png|thumb|right|The ending screen of ''[[Mario Kart 7]]'', with all of the characters.]]
 
After the credits, Mario shouts "Thanks for playing! Way to go!" or "Thanks for playing! You're the best! Ha ha!" depending on how much the player has progressed during the game, and the default characters or all of the characters wave to the player, including his or her own [[Mii]].
===[[Luigi's Mansion (series)|''Luigi's Mansion'' series]]===
{{br}}
====''[[Luigi's Mansion]]''====
=====''[[Mario Kart 8]]''=====
In dark rooms and hallways, Luigi hums or whistles the [[Main Theme (Luigi's Mansion)|Main Theme]] while exploring, even if the music is not playing. [[Melody Pianissima]] plays songs from the earlier ''Super Mario'' games and asks Luigi what game it appeared in. (''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', ''[[Super Mario World]]'', etc.). She also plays the ''Luigi's Mansion'' theme while Luigi is in the hallway next to the vase with the picture above it.
Mario yells out "Mario Kart 8!" when the game starts; additionally, Mario has the chance to say "Start your engines!". After playing the ''Mario Kart 8'' demo, Mario will also say "Hey! Thanks for playing!"
 
   
====''[[Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon]]''====
In [[Toad's Turnpike]], trucks with ''Mario Kart 8'' on the back and sides can be seen.
Luigi hums the background music to the various mansions when the player does not touch the controls for five seconds.
 
During part of [[Professor Elvin Gadd|E. Gadd]]'s opening dialog, Luigi faces the player, points to E. Gadd, and performs the cuckoo motion.
 
====''[[Luigi's Mansion 3]]''====
Luigi hums the elevator's background music when the player stays idle for a few seconds if the elevator is not moving.
 
Also, at the end of the credits, Luigi says, "Bye, everybody!"
 
===[[Mario & Luigi (series)|''Mario & Luigi'' series]]===
====''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' / ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions]]''====
[[File:FourthWallSuperstarSagaScreenBreak.png|thumb|Bowser breaking the screen at the end of the game.]]
[[File:MLSSBM Bowser fourth wall.png|thumb|Bowser hitting the screen in the remake.]]
When [[Bowser's Castle]] plunges into the ocean (GBA) or explodes (3DS), [[Bowser]] hits the screen, cracking it, and slides down (he sticks onto it in the 3DS version). The same thing happens at the end of [[Believe in Bowser]] in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions#Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser|Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser]]'', but with [[Captain Goomba (Mario & Luigi series)|Captain Goomba]], [[Captain Koopa Troopa]], [[Captain Boo]], and [[Captain Shy Guy (Mario & Luigi series)|Captain Shy Guy]].
 
In Mushroom Plaza, when [[Mario]] talks to the [[Toad (species)|Toad]] by the fountain, he asks him if he wants to hear about Action Commands. If the player selects "No" every time, the Toad tells them, "''Action Commands are... Well... Go read the Instruction Booklet.''"
 
In an area of the [[Woohoo Hooniversity]] that contains no [[List of enemies|enemies]], but several objects to be studied, there is a room with four blocks in it: one from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', one from ''[[Super Mario World]]'', one from ''[[Super Mario 64]]'', and one from ''[[Paper Mario]]''. If Mario or Luigi strikes the block, they read a description of the block, which says what game it is from. (i.e. Block used in ''Super Mario Bros.'')
 
When Princess Peach first visits the Beanbean Kingdom, Mario and Luigi react to her speech bubble appearing, expecting the explosive vocabulary.
 
In the remake, Mario and Luigi's stats are displayed on the touch screen in battle. When fighting Iggy, he casts a spell on the display that switches the stats around.
 
====''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]''====
When the player opens up the {{button|ds|Start}} menu after getting a [[bean]] the first time, [[Stuffwell]] will say to the player, "Sorry to disturb you!"
 
====''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]'' / ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey]]''====
After beating the game and after the cake picture, [[Chakron]] directly compliments the player.
 
The last one of [[Bowser]]'s ranks is "Final Boss", referencing that Bowser is the final boss in most ''Super Mario'' games.
 
If the player talks to Toadbert after beating Junker, he mentions a dream where he hears the "{{button|ds|A}} {{button|ds|B}} {{button|ds|X}} {{button|ds|Y}} {{button|ds|L}} {{button|ds|R}} {{button|ds|Y}} {{button|ds|X}} {{button|ds|B}} {{button|ds|A}}" buttons being pressed. Inputting this code speeds up the timer in the scene in the Lumbar Nook.
 
When the [[Elite Trio]] announce their betrayal of Bowser after shoving him into the safe in the [[Treasure Chamber]], they look at the viewer and tell them to say "extra rations".
 
====''[[Mario & Luigi: Dream Team]]''====
After freeing [[Brickle]] in Mushrise Park by increasing the water pressure on the fountain that he is stuck in, the top part of the fountain is launched high into the air. It collides with the screen, getting stuck in it.  It pops back out, shattering the screen and falling back down.
 
[[Britta]] warns Mario and Luigi that it will be "game over" if they do not pay attention while using the [[Drilldigger]].
 
Volumes of ''The Legend of Pi'illo Island'' are found in the game. An additional ''Author's Postscript'' can be found, where [[Pi'illoper]] breaks the fourth wall in-universe by explaining why he wrote them to Mario and Luigi.
 
One of the signs in [[Mushrise Park]] tells the player to look at the touch screen if they get lost. It is written by the Mushrise Park staff. (It is likely to have been written by [[Brickle]] due to the heavy Bronx accent seen on the sign).
 
If Mario and Luigi drink from the fountain on [[Mount Pajamaja]], they fall asleep and have a nightmare. At the end of the nightmare, "Game Over" appears on the screen during the dream. Shortly after, [[Prince Dreambert]] wakes them up.
 
If [[Giant Luigi]] is hit by some of [[Mount Pajamaja (boss)|Mount Pajamaja's]] attacks, Mario is knocked into the screen. Bros. Attacks cannot be used until he returns.
 
====''[[Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam]]''====
After [[Nabbit]] has stolen [[Bros. Attack]]s, [[Toad]] laments that, if Bros. Attacks were lost, it is over for not only for Toad himself, but also for Mario and Luigi, the [[Mushroom Kingdom]], and the game as a whole. He then breaks into tears and says that it is going to be "[[Game Over]] for all of us".
 
After Paper Mario uses the [[Copy Block]] for the first time, Starlow reads the number of copies on the UI and says that there are six of him.


While in [[Mario Kart TV]], the player can tap on the [[Mii]]s to elicit an annoyed response from them.
Before Peach and Paper Peach are kidnapped, they say that it is "that point in the story."


Additionally, some tracks feature posters of the ''Mario Kart 8'' cover.
In the shops at the [[Toad Village]]s, Mario can talk to a Toad who buys and sells [[Battle Card (Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam)|? Cards]]. If Mario sells a card to him, a message appears saying that the card has been sold; it gets cut off as the Toad protests that the interaction has to be kept secret.


====[[Paper Mario (series)|''Paper Mario'' series]]====
Before the [[Paper Petey Piranha]] boss fight, the [[Monologue Toad]] that Petey grabbed tells the player "I'm as anxious as you are to move on, but please don't press {{button|3ds|R}} to fast forward!" The Toad then launches into a very long explanation of why [[Petey Piranha]] is here when they already defeated him while an onscreen prompt appears saying "You can fast-forward with {{button|3ds|R}}".
=====''[[Paper Mario]]''=====
If [[Goombario]] uses [[Tattle]] on a [[Goomba]], the tattle mentions that they have been around since ''[[Super Mario Bros.]].''


While Mario is fighting [[Bowser???]], the [[Koopa Bros.]] try to lower his confidence by telling him that the phony Bowser is invincible. One of the things they say is ''"The sequel should be called '''Paper Bowser!'''"''
At one point, [[Starlow]] breaks the fourth wall by looking at the player and saying "And now... back to the adventure!" (referencing [[Stuffwell]]'s catchphrase from ''Partners in Time'').


When Mario wins a battle, sometimes he looks at the player and give them a thumbs up. This also happens in future installments, except ''Super Paper Mario''.
When [[Luigi]] is separated from Mario and [[Paper Mario (character)|Paper Mario]], Starlow references the [[Year of Luigi]] to cheer Luigi up, and saying "It's basically Luigi RPG now!".


At the beginning of the fourth fight against [[Jr. Troopa]], he actually notices his HP bar when it has dropped to half, and comments that he lost his HP due to swimming across the ocean.
While the trio climbs the [[Paper Toad]] staircase to [[Neo Bowser Castle]], along with compliments like, "You can do it!" or tips like "Eat a healthy breakfast!", another Paper Toad says "Save your game frequently..."
<gallery>
M&LPJ system message fourth wall.png|A Toad interrupts a system message.
M&LPJ fast forward fourth wall.png|[[Monologue Toad]] mentions the fast-forward feature.
PaperJamPaperMarioThumbsUp.jpg|Paper Mario giving a thumbs up to the player.
M&LPJ foreshadowing fourth wall.png|Starlow acknowledges an instance of foreshadowing.
M&LPJ back to the adventure.png|Starlow talks to the player.
M&LPJ Year of Luigi.png|Starlow mentions the [[Year of Luigi]].
M&LPJ Luigi RPG fourth wall.png|Starlow encourages Luigi.
M&LPJ breakfast fourth wall.png|Two Paper Toads give hints.
</gallery>


At the end of the game, a [[Bumpty]] mentions that [[Herringway]] plans to write about [[Mario]]'s story, coming up with the title "Paper Mario".
==== ''[[Mario & Luigi: Brothership]]'' ====
[[File:MLB Reclusa title screen.jpg|thumb|Reclusa on the title screen]]
If the player stays on the title screen while the screen displays the [[Soli-Tree]], [[Reclusa]], the overarching villain and final boss of the game, will eventually pop up from the sides before he pops up from the bottom up close to the camera to laugh at the player.


=====''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''=====
[[File:MLB Shun title screen.jpg|thumb|Ten and Shun on the title screen]]
[[File:PMTTYD Lord Crump fourth wall.png|thumb|right|[[Lord Crump]] (disguised) referring to the person "in front of the TV"]]
This also occurs to a lesser extent earlier in the game if the player stays on the title screen while it displays [[Fortess Zokket]]. The [[Extension Corps]] fly across the screen, with [[Shun]] appearing to look towards the player while doing so.
If Mario gets in [[Danger]] while fighting [[Gus]], he'll break the fourth wall by acknowledging that "…it'll be Game Over for you!" and that the player can choose their Tactics menu.


After Mario defeats [[Gus]], he will shout, ''"CRUD! You dumb video-game heroes always do this!"''
===[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong (series)|''Mario vs. Donkey Kong'' series]]===
====''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong]]''====
At the end of Credits 1 and Credits 2, Mario says "''Thanks very much for-to playing my game!''", a line similar to the one at the end of ''[[#Super Mario 64/DS|Super Mario 64]]''. Also, Mario makes several remarks at the credits in Credits 2 as they pop up (such as "''Oh, the engineering! Mamamia!''" and "''Ooh, don't forget to thank [[Shigeru Miyamoto|Mr. Miyamoto]].''"). Also, Mario breaks the fourth wall in every level (bar the [[Mini Mario (toy)|Mini-Mario]] and boss levels) by smashing the [[Crystal Ball]] against the screen to break it.


A young Toad in the [[Petal Meadows]] village will say: "There's this one game that just absolutely rules. It's called 'Fire Emblem'...". This reference was written shortly before the international release of [[fireemblem: Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken|''Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken'']], the first game in the series to be released outside Japan and seventh installment overall. ''Paper Mario'' and ''Fire Emblem'' are both developed by [[Intelligent Systems]]. In the Japanese version of the game, the Toad kid mentions ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' for the [[NES|Famicom]] instead.<ref>[http://legendsoflocalization.com/legit-translation-or-clever-fire-emblem-advertisement/ Legit Translation… or Clever Fire Emblem Advertisement?]</ref>
====''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis]]''====
When the player closes/opens the [[Nintendo DS]] or [[Nintendo 3DS]], [[Mario]] can be heard talking, sometimes to the player such as "What's up?". Also, in the final cutscene, [[Mario]], [[Donkey Kong]], [[Pauline]] and the [[Toad (species)|Toad]]s are seen waving at the player.


After rescuing [[Koopley]] from [[Hooktail]], [[Koops]] says: ''"For ten long years we all thought you'd...you know! We thought your game was over!"''
====''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!]]''====
When closing the Nintendo DSi or Nintendo 3DS, Mario says "''I love this game!''" and "''Hey! You! Come back-a here!''" Opening the system again results in him saying things such as "''Let's play again!''"


While describing how the [[Happy Lucky Lottery]] works, [[Lucky]] will explain that the daily number changes every day in real-time and that he uses the [[Nintendo GameCube]]'s clock as a reference. If the player sets the GameCube's date back in an attempt to cheat the system, Lucky will penalize them.
====''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!]]''====
When closing the Nintendo DS or Nintendo 3DS, Mario says the same things he did in the previous game, along with some new ones, including "''Ow, my head!''" and "''Whatta' you doing?''" After the credits of the second ending, Pauline says, "''Bye-bye! Thanks for playing!''" and Mario says, "''Well, that was a fun game!''"


When [[Goombella]] tattles on [[Stewart]] in [[Glitzville]], she will tell Mario that [[Cheep Cheep]]s have been a part of the ''Mario'' franchise for a while. In fact, Goombella even says, ''"Oh, gosh. I just broke through the fourth wall there, didn't I? Sorry. Just forget it."''
===[[Mario Tennis (series)|''Mario Tennis'' series]]===
====''[[Mario Power Tennis]]''====
In his singles celebration, after eating Luigi, Yoshi looks at the player and shrugs. Donkey Kong also looks at the player and scratches his head in his singles celebration after grabbing his trophy from Toad, causing him to pass out. Also, outtakes occur during the credits.
<gallery>
Bloopers1-MPT.png|Mario hits Luigi's face.
Bloopers2-MPT.png|Wario and Waluigi trip.
Bloopers3-MPT.png|Waluigi accidentally hits the camera with his marker.
Bloopers4-MPT.png|A police officer trips.
Bloopers5-MPT.png|Wario and Waluigi slam into the door they were going to enter.
Bloopers6-MPT.png|Waluigi gets his leg stuck in the door.
Bloopers7-MPT.png|The ball-serving machine malfunctions.
Bloopers8-MPT.gif|Bowser breaks the switch.
Bloopers9-MPT.gif|Bowser gets electrocuted after activating the switch.
Bloopers10-MPT.gif|Wario grabs his cell phone while weightlifting.
Bloopers11-MPT.gif|The Bob-omb launching device malfunctions.
Bloopers12-MPT.gif|Bowser's Bill Blaster explodes on his face.
Bloopers13-MPT.gif|The Bullet Bill fails to reach Mario's range.
Bloopers14-MPT.gif|Waluigi avoids getting hit by Wario.
Bloopers15-MPT.gif|A Koopa Paratroopa pops up behind Wario, Bowser, and Waluigi.
</gallery>


The same occurs when she tattles on the gatekeeper of [[Twilight Town]], in which she says that the game would be too easy without him. Rather than directly referring to breaking the fourth wall, she only says,'' "Hee hee... Let's never speak of it again."''
====''[[Mario Tennis Aces]]''====
[[File:MTA Rafael Nadal trailer.png|thumb|left]]
In the cutscene following the credits, Mario leaves his signature on the screen; he also does this in the game's trailer featuring Rafael Nadal.


[[Koops]] breaks the fourth wall after the fight with [[Doopliss]] where he says ''"Sort of easy for a boss battle as it were."'' Unlike Goombella though, he doesn't seem to notice that he broke the fourth wall. Doopliss also breaks the fourth wall during the chapter by removing the [[The letter "p"|lowercase p]] from the naming screen.
===''[[Super Princess Peach]]''===
During the intro sequence, [[Bowser]] tells the player to shut the door, using the [[Nintendo DS]] stylus, so that he and his minions can continue discussing their plan.


Just before Mario begins [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door#Chapter 5: The Key to Pirates|Chapter 5]], [[Professor Frankly]] is about to tell them very important and long information concerning [[the Thousand-Year Door]]. He asks if they're ready to hear it, and then says, ''"And you there! In front of the TV! You listen up, too!"''. Mario's current partner out will question Professor Frankly (for example, [[Mini-Yoshi]] says to him, ''"Did someone pile-drive your head, or what? I don't see any TV here, nutjob!"''. [[Vivian]] remarks, ''"What to say... ARE YOU TALKING TO NO ONE?!?''" Goombella even says, ''"Yeesh. First me, then you! Why do we always have to break through the fourth wall?"'') Frankly yells at them, saying to disregard it as he continues. Later during the chapter, [[Lord Crump]] (under his alias, "Four Eyes") tells the player that they'd better not tell Mario who he really is, though it is impossible to even use Mario to attack him until the end of the chapter.
During the ending sequence, the player is asked, "''So, how did YOU feel about this last adventure?''" The player is also told that the [[Vibe Scepter]] might be in their house somewhere.


After [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door#Chapter 6: 3 Days of Excess|Chapter 6]], when Bowser makes it to [[Rawk Hawk]]'s secret training facility, Rawk Hawk appears. As soon as he appears, he points at the camera insultingly asking the player if they forgot him.
===''[[Mario Strikers Charged]]''===
Sometimes, the team captains look at the screen, making it seem that they are looking at the player. One example is if the player scores a goal against [[Waluigi]], it triggers one of his animations where he looks at the screen and then proceeds to punch it while shouting "Cheese!" in frustration.


A [[Toad (species)|Toad]] in [[Petalburg]] consistently breaks the fourth wall throughout the game. He states that he is a fan of [[Luigi]] and says he wants a game called "Paper Luigi". Later, he mentions that he is actually playing the game ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'' and ends up beating it before the player does. In every chapter, he always talks about a different Nintendo game.
During Wario's home entrance, he hums to his own theme.


In the [[Palace of Shadow]], if Mario allows the [[Dry Bones]] to force him to the center of the room, Mario's partner will warn him that the floor will swallow them up. If Mario does not move to prevent this, his partner will scream that they are doomed. If [[Mini-Yoshi]] is Mario's partner at the time, he will say, "Awww, game over, man! WHOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAA!"
===''[[Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker]]''===
After the credits, when [[Captain Toad]] chases either a [[Green Star]] in the Wii U version or the [[Odyssey]] in the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch versions, Toadette, after attempting to call Captain Toad back a few times to no success, looks at the screen and says, "''Oh, no!''"


After completing Chapter 6, a young [[Toad (species)|Toad]] will appear in Cabin 007 of [[Excess Express]]. Should the player talk to him, he will ask Mario a quiz: "What did [[Bowser]] nab in the last ''[[Paper Mario]]''?" The options are "The Star Cookie", "The [[Star Rod (Paper Mario)|Star Rod]]", and "Someone's Lunch".
===''[[Mario Sports Superstars]]''===
During golf, Bowser, Birdo, and Yoshi perform their post-hole animations on the player just like in ''Mario Golf: World Tour''.
<gallery>
FireBreathSportsSuperstars.jpg|Bowser breathing fire at the camera in his Eagle animation
</gallery>


In [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door#Chapter 3: Of Glitz and Glory|Chapter 3]], [[Hamma Jamma]] says that [[World 7-1 (Super Mario Bros.)|7-1]] was his grandfather's 'hood'.
===[[Mario + Rabbids (series)|''Mario + Rabbids'' series]]===
====''[[Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle]]''====
In all four worlds, there are certain instruments scattered around that emit no sounds themselves, but their movement goes along to the background music: blue trumpets in [[Ancient Gardens]], drums played by bouncing balls in [[Sherbet Desert]], harps played by vines in [[Spooky Trails]], and steam exhausts in [[Lava Pit (Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle)|Lava Pit]].


=====''[[Super Paper Mario]]''=====
====''[[Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope]]''====
[[File:SPM Swoon exe.png|thumb|right|Swoon.exe]]
[[File:MRSOH Fourth wall break.jpg|thumb|right|Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Mario and Rayman breaking the fourth wall]]
Several characters, the first one being [[Bestovius]], refer to a certain button when explaining how to perform an action. When Mario asks what they mean by pressing that certain button, the [[List of characters|character]] assures them not to worry, and that the great being that watches them (the player) will know what it means. For example, when encountered, [[Thoreau]] says: ''"What's this {{button|wii|1}}, you say? You need not worry. The great being that watches us will know what it is."'' However, during [[Garson]]'s story "Stylish Moves," he states that Mario can perform one by shaking the Wii Remote; when Mario asks what the remote is, Garson replies, ''"What? What's a {{button|wii|Wiimote}}? ...Don't worry. As long as the player gets it, we're fine,"'' outright stating the existence of the player instead of alluding to them.
After [[Allegra]] restores [[Melodic Gardens]]' musical nature at the end of [[The Last Spark Hunter]] DLC, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, [[Rabbid Luigi]], [[Rabbid Peach]], [[Rabbid Mario]], [[Edge]], and [[Rabbid Rosalina]] all smile at the player.


Before fighting him in [[The Bitlands|Chapter 3-1]], [[Bowser]] shouts to Mario, ''"No more sequels!"'' and that he will finish him off, describing himself as ''"Grade A, 100% prime-cut final boss."'' Later, during [[Fort Francis|Chapter 3-4]], the last option for Princess Peach to choose on the [[Swoon.exe]] will result in her to outburst in anger and demand to know who is picking these answers for her.
Before the credits start in the [[Rayman in the Phantom Show]] DLC, [[Rabbid Peach]], [[Rabbid Mario]] and [[Rayman]] wave goodbye towards the camera.


The [[Sammer Guy]] [[List of Sammer Guys#Mystical Whistle|Mystical Whistle]] claims that no one can beat him without using hacks, a reference to players who use cheat codes and devices to make games easier. Another Sammer Guy named [[List of Sammer Guys#Invisible Brock|Invisible Brock]] claims that no one could find him without using a game guide.
===''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020]]''===
In the game's intro, [[Silver the Hedgehog]] attacks Donkey Kong during a match of [[Dream Karate]], causing the latter to fly into the screen and fall down.


[[The Underwhere]] itself is a break in the fourth wall, because its inhabitants say that their game had ended. As with the rest of the series, death is referred to as getting a game over.
===''[[Princess Peach: Showtime!]]''===
Before the end credits, [[Princess Peach]] winks and thanks the player, similarly to how [[Mario]] does this in several ''Super Mario'' games.
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=====''[[Paper Mario: Sticker Star]]''=====
===[[Donkey Kong (franchise)|''Donkey Kong'' franchise]]===
If the player refuses to hear the [[Battle Spinner]] tutorial four times, [[Kersti]] will say "You know what? Forget you! Here--pick one of these answers so we can move on." The resulting answers will be "yes" and "yeah", forcing the player to do the tutorial anyway.
[[File:Monkey Museum DKC2.png|thumb|Cranky offers the player his "wealth of gameplaying wisdom for this unnecessary sequel".]]
Throughout the franchise, from ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]'' onward, whenever the player visits [[Cranky Kong]] he constantly remarks about how the games of yesteryear are superior to modern games, and often whines about how the game that he is in is too easy for someone like him to complete. The instruction booklets also contain even more remarks of this nature.


[[Mariachi Guy]]s will play their instruments to the music when [[Mario]] gets close to them. When the player saves [[Traveling Toad]] in [[Drybake Desert]], he admits he wants to leave because there is "this weird music that never stops". This is probably referencing to the background music, and the added instruments from the Mariachi Guy near him. Also, when the player fights [[Gooper Blooper]], his tentacles clap along with the music.
====''[[Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!]]''====
[[File:DKC3 Blunder fourth wall break.png|thumb|left|Blunder breaks the fourth wall.]]
If the [[Kong]]s manage to find [[Krematoa]] without speaking with [[Blunder]], he says "''I can't believe you found the Lost World on your own! I bet you cheeky so and so's used [[Nintendo Power]]'s guide! I know I did!''"


When [[Mario]] uses a [[Slaphammer]] sticker and manages to do an "Excellent" move, the enemy will be flung in the air, and crash into the screen.
====''[[Donkey Kong 64]]''====
If the player highlights on [[Chunky Kong|Chunky]] in the [[Tag Barrel]], he'll shake his head and point to [[Tiny Kong|Tiny]], telling the player to not select him.


When Mario stays still, the HP bar shows up and if one were to blow in the microphone, it would sway from the left to right.
====''[[Donkey Kong Barrel Blast]]''====
If the player hovers over the "Back" button on the main menu, [[Diddy Kong]] arrives and waves goodbye to the player.


When the player moves their 3DS, [[Shiny]], [[Flashy]], [[Big Shiny]], and [[Megaflash]] stickers will shimmer.
===[[Yoshi (franchise)|''Yoshi'' franchise]]===
====''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]''====
In a secret area in [[Jungle Rhythm...]], there is a [[Message Block]] that gives the message "''We, the Mario team poured our hearts and souls into creating this game for your entertainment. It is full of secrets. Enjoy!"'' In the [[Game Boy Advance]] [[remake]], the message is changed to "''How do you like this game? Goodies are hidden in every level, you know. You should look all over if you want to get 100 points! Investigate anything that looks suspicious.''"


If Mario runs away from the fight with [[Bowser Jr.]] during [[Bowser Jr.'s Flotilla]], he will proclaim himself final boss.
In a secret area in [[Sluggy the Unshaven's Fort]], there is a Message Block mentioning a secret code for a [[Mini Battle]] select screen. The message reads as follows, "This is Top Secret so LISTEN UP! On the Level Selection screen, hold {{button|snes|select}} and press {{button|snes|X}}, {{button|snes|X}}, {{button|snes|Y}}, {{button|snes|B}} and {{button|snes|A}}!!" (This code is changed to {{button|gba|L}}, {{button|gba|L}}, {{button|gba|B}}, {{button|gba|A}} and {{button|gba|R}} in ''Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3''.)


=====''[[Paper Mario: Color Splash]]''=====
====''[[Yoshi's Story]]''====
[[File:HueyFourthWallBreak.jpg|thumb|Huey told Mario about the Game Over screen if he falls off.]]
Each time the player eats a [[Heart Fruit]] after playing a level's minigame, a row of coins forming a letter appears. If the player puts all the letters from each level in order, it reveals the message "YOU ARE YOSHI'S GREAT PARTNER!"
When the Fan Thing Card is used, all of the enemies will fly to the screen before falling.


Before Mario falls off the [[Kiwano Temple]], [[Huey]] saves him and said that he would've seen the [[Game Over]] screen if it wasn't for him.
====''[[Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3]]''====
If the player gets a perfect score in every stage, a message comes up saying "''Congratulations! What an amazing job! You are the [''number''] Yoshi to adventure on Yoshi's Island.''" The number to be shown here is the number of lives spent before the game's completion plus one (for example, if the player has lost 300 lives before completing the game, the message says that they are the 301st Yoshi).


When Mario fights a [[Slurp Snifit|Blue Slurp Snifit]] in battle, one of the things it will say is ''"This is not a game!"'', due to the game itself having goofy humor.
====''[[Yoshi's New Island]]''====
[[File:YNI 4th Wall.png|thumb|130px|Yellow Yoshi breaking the fourth wall]]
If [[Yoshi (species)|Yellow Yoshi]] is hit by a hammer in [[Fort Bucket Booby Trap]], he is knocked into the screen and slides down it, resulting in the player losing a life.


In ''[[Snifit or Whiffit]]'' at the [[Cobalt Base]], the [[Snifit]] warns Mario that making a mistake in the Bonus Round gives him an instant Game Over and the save file will disappear forever. Shortly after he says this, he says he's just kidding about the disappearing save file, but is serious about the instant Game Over in the Bonus Round.
After the credits, [[Bowser]], who is behind the credits screen, smashes the screen if the [[Flutter Wings]] were used in at least one level. He then tells the player that they will be able to fight him after completing every level without using the Flutter Wings.


Underneath the [[Mustard Café]], a yellow Snifit throws Mario in jail and threatens him not to escape before realizing that they can't do anything other than throwing him in jail without changing the age rating of the game.
====''[[Yoshi's Woolly World]]'' / ''[[Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World]]''====
In the [[Scrapbook Theater]], if the player presses the A button on the [[Ukiki]], it scratches its head and looks at the player after a few seconds.


When Mario repaints a green [[Toad (species)|Toad]] at the beginning of [[Mossrock Theater]], the Toad will say that the forest is creepy. He will then say, "I mean, just listen to this music!", referring to the music in the level.
If the player is with [[Poochy]], he dances if the player collects a [[Wonder Wool]] or collects a [[Smiley Flower]] that Poochy brings to them.


After the green [[Big Paint Star]] is collected and the final memory is seen, Huey says that the game's events would not have happened if a no mixing colors sign was put next to the Prisma Fountain.
In the fifth short in the port ''[[Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World]]'', "Chaaarge!", Poochy looks and runs towards the viewer(s), Poochy then falls over when he hits the screen. Also in the short "What Goes Up... ?", after Poochy looks up for a bit, he then looks at the viewer(s) and wags his tail.


When the player beats the game, the Toad with the newspaper in [[Port Prisma]] says "Prisma Fountain Restored! Game Beaten! Not sure what "game beaten" means, but would you like to watch the Prisma Splash parade again?"
====''[[Yoshi's Crafted World]]''====
In the level [[Weighing Acorns]], while waiting for the bus, Yoshi hums the level's background music.


====[[Mario & Luigi (series)|''Mario & Luigi'' series]]====
===[[Wario (franchise)|''Wario'' franchise]]===
=====''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]''=====
====[[Wario's Woods (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)|''Wario's Woods'' (SNES)]]====
[[File:FourthWallSuperstarSagaScreenBreak.png|thumb|Bowser breaking the screen at the end of the game.]]
After defeating the player in the VS. COM mode, [[Sven]] tells Toad that he was "glad that [the player] didn't reset the game when he saw it was hopeless."
When [[Bowser's Castle]] plunges into the ocean, [[Bowser]] hits the screen, cracking it.
 
====[[Wario Land (series)|''Wario Land'' series]]====
=====''[[Wario Land 4]]''=====
[[File:Homerun WL4.png|thumb|250px|The Wario baseball breaking the screen]]
In the minigame [[Wario's Homerun Derby]], if the player hits a home run, the ball is sent toward the screen, breaking it.
 
In the manual, Wario complains about his transformations caused by enemies and blames the developers.
 
=====''[[Wario Land: Shake It!]]''=====
If the [[Wii#Wii Remote|Wii Remote]] is left idle, Wario may say, "Come on, pick it up and play."
 
====[[WarioWare (series)|''WarioWare'' series]]====
{{multiple image
|align=left
|direction=vertical
|footer=[[Heads Up]] and [[High-Speed Chase]] literally breaking the fourth wall
|width=170
|image1=HeUp WWMM Lose.png
|alt1=Heads Up microgame.
|image2=HiSpCh WWT Lose.png
|alt2=High-Speed Chase microgame.
}}
=====''[[WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!]]''=====
In the microgame "[[Heads Up]]," if the player fails to catch the ball and it goes out of bounds, it breaks a hole in the screen and the catcher looks at it.
 
At the end of Mona's microgame category, she is looking at the customers while serving ice cream. The camera then irises out at her face, stops, and Mona winks at the player.
 
=====''[[WarioWare: Twisted!]]''=====
In [[Orbulon]]'s story, the [[Alien Bunny]] he orders to massage him is not doing so strong enough. Orbulon then tells the player, "You out there, take over."
 
In the microgame [[High-Speed Chase]], if the player fails to run from the chasing object, Wario is sent towards the screen, breaking it.
 
In the microgame [[Robotomy]], letting a red robot run into the screen will cause it to crack.
 
=====''[[WarioWare: Touched!]]''=====
In the microgame "[[Rump Roast]]", if the player taps the horse's head, the horse angrily looks at the player.
 
=====''[[WarioWare: Smooth Moves]]''=====
In [[Kat & Ana]]'s stage, losing a microgame causes a turtle to be hit by a cannonball and fly into the screen.
 
In Level 2 of the microgame "[[Skip It]]", if the player successfully makes the hippo jump over the rope twice, she kisses the screen, leaving a lipstick stain on it.
 
In the microgame "[[Swat Team]]", if the player fails to swat the fly, it flies towards the screen.
 
In the microgame "[[Roll Model]]", if the player makes [[Wario]] dodge the spears, he jumps towards the player.


In Mushroom Plaza, when [[Mario]] talks to the [[Toad (species)|Toad]] by the fountain he'll ask [[Mario]] if he wants to hear about Action Commands. If [[Mario]] says no every time, the [[Toad (species)|Toad]] will say ''"Action Commands are... Well go read the instruction booklet!"''
In the microgame "[[Not the Face!]]", letting a projectile hit the screen will cause the screen to crack.


In an area of the [[Woohoo Hooniversity]] that contains no [[List of enemies|enemies]], but several objects to be studied, there is one room with four blocks in it: One from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', one from ''[[Super Mario World]]'', one from ''[[Super Mario 64]]'', and one from ''[[Paper Mario]]''. If Mario or Luigi strikes the block, they will read a description of the block, which says what game it's from. (i.e. Block used in ''[[Super Mario Bros]].'')
In the microgame "[[Helping Hand]]", letting a person fall will cause the screen to crack as it screams.


=====''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]''=====
In Level 3 of the microgame "[[Soiled Reputation]]", if the player manages to successfully hoe the soil thrice, a dinosaur skeleton resurfaces from the soil, roars, and faces the screen while waving to the player or lunges at the screen.
Mario breaks the fourth wall in [[Shroob Castle]] by noting to Luigi that the adult brothers and the baby brothers must stay on the bottom screen.


=====''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]''=====
=====''[[WarioWare: D.I.Y.]]''=====
After beating the game and after the cake picture, [[Chakron]] will directly compliment the player.
During the lesson on how to draw a background for the [[Ladybug]] microgame, Wario notices that the music has changed as soon as the player taps on the stamp tool.


The last one of [[Bowser]]'s ranks is '''Final Boss''', referencing that Bowser is the final boss in most ''Mario'' games.
=====''[[Game & Wario]]''=====
In the minigame [[Ashley (minigame)|Ashley]], [[Ashley]] tells the player, "You with the GamePad! You're gonna have to guide me."


If the player talks to Toadbert after beating Junker, he'll mention a dream where he hears the "A Button B Button X Button Y Button L Button R Button Y Button X Button B Button A Button" buttons being pressed. Inputting this code will speed up the scene in the Lumbar Nook.
Also, if the player blows on the GamePad, Ashley tries to cover her skirt as it goes up and gives the player an angry look.


=====''[[Mario & Luigi: Dream Team]]''=====
=====''[[WarioWare Gold]]''=====
After freeing [[Brickle]] in Mushrise Park by increasing the water pressure on the fountain that he is stuck in, the top part of the fountain will launch into the air, break a hole in the screen and get stuck in it before shattering the screen completely and falling onto [[Grobot]], which results in him malfunctioning.
Throughout the game, [[Wario]] speaks to the player, and is even aware of the player clearing the levels.


[[Pi'illoper]] also breaks the fourth wall in-universe in his chronicles of the [[Pi'illo]]s, by directly talking to Mario and Luigi.
In the microgame "[[Parking Lot Problems]]", if a player fails to choose any car by the end of the microgame, the person stops and angrily looks towards the player.


One of the signs in [[Mushrise Park]] tells the player to look at the touch screen if they get lost. It appears to have been written by the Mushrise Park staff (more specifically, [[Brickle]] himself due to the heavy Bronx accent seen on such a sign)
The microgames "Heads Up" and "Rump Roast" retain their fourth wall breaks.


If Mario and Luigi drink from the fountain on [[Mount Pajamaja]], they will go into a dream, and "Game Over" will appear on the screen during the dream. Shortly after, [[Prince Dreambert]] wakes them up.
In the microgame "[[I Came, I Saw]]", there are a few scenarios in which the worm is surprised and looks at the player, complete with an exclamation mark over its head.  


Getting hit by one of [[Mount Pajamaja (boss)|Mount Pajamaja's]] attacks will knock Mario into the 3D screen, rendering Bros. Attacks unusable in the process.
In [[5-Volt]]'s stage, if the player fails a [[microgame]], she may ask, "Did your hand slip?" If the same occurs in Ashley & [[Red (WarioWare series)|Red]]'s stage, Ashley may say, "You must be cursed..." Additionally, there are several other voice clips whether the player wins or loses a microgame, like Wario saying, "Aw, what you do?!" after the player loses three times in a row and Mona occasionally saying, "Aren't you clever?" when the player avoids a trick.


=====''[[Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam]]''=====
During the [[Wario Deluxe]] stage, Wario asks if the player is ready to collect their reward, and turns into Wario Deluxe. He then tells the player they will "always be number 2". He eventually starts using his powers to hide the control hints, before telling the player that they could always give up. After that, [[Lulu]] pops some balloons on his hot air balloon and jumps on him to grab the gold potty, after which she looks at the screen and tells the player to "win this thing."
[[File:PaperJamPaperMarioThumbsUp.jpg|thumb|Paper Mario giving a thumbs up.]]
After [[Nabbit]] has stolen [[Bros. Attack]]s, [[Toad]] laments that, if Bros. Attacks were lost, it is over for not only for Toad himself, but also for Mario and Luigi, for [[Mushroom Kingdom]], and the game itself. He then says that it's going to be [[Game Over]] for "for all of us".


Before the [[Paper Petey Piranha]] boss fight, the [[Toad]] that Petey grabbed will tell the player "I'm as anxious as you are to move on, but please don't press R to fast forward!" The Toad then launches into a very long explanation of why [[Petey Piranha]] is here when they already defeated him while an onscreen prompt appears saying "Press {{button|3ds|R}} to fast forward".
After completing any of the stages in any of the leagues, a message appears from the character that hosts the stage, mostly warning them about the next stage.


At one point, [[Starlow]] breaks the fourth wall by looking at the player and saying "Now, back to the adventure!" (referencing [[Stuffwell]]'s catchphrase from ''Partners in Time'').
After the Wario Deluxe stage is cleared, while Wario adamantly tells Lulu to take the pot and announces the Wario Bowl to be over, she brings up the credits, which are interrupted when the rest of the cast demand their payment.


When [[Luigi]] is separated from Mario and [[Paper Mario (character)|Paper Mario]], Starlow references the [[Year of Luigi]] to cheer Luigi up, and saying "It's basically Luigi RPG now!".
Most of Wario Deluxe's interruptions in the "Wario Interrupts" challenge involve using his powers to alter the Touch Screen or block the player's view. Like his stage in the main game, he can also hide the control hints.


While the trio climbs the [[Paper Toad]] staircase to [[Neo Bowser Castle (Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam)|Neo Bowser Castle]], along with compliments like, "You can do it!"' or tips like "Eat a healthy breakfast!" (which is a minor fourth wall break), another Paper Toad says "Make sure you save your game frequently".
On the main menu while "Story" is highlighted, after its description on the top screen fully scrolls by once, it will change to say, "You're still here? Do you LIKE hanging around on menu screens or something?"


Just like in the previous installment, the game tells the player to take a break if he/she goes to the menu after playing for a long period of time.
After getting a Game Over in the minigame [[Pumpkin Panic]], Ashley will say, "You're still here?"


When Paper Mario gets an "Excellent!" on a Jump attack, he'll give a thumbs up to the player.
=====''[[WarioWare: Get It Together!]]''=====
At the end of the game's intro cutscene, the camera pans into Wario's handheld in a manner that gives the effect of the player using it when playing in handheld mode.


=====''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions]]''=====
Most crew members warn the player that they are on their last life when the player loses the first three. They also thank the player when they give them [[Prezzy|Prezzies]].
[[File:FourthWallSuperstarSagaBowsersMinionsScreenBreak.jpg|thumb|Bowser hitting the screen after being sent flying from the castle's explosion.]]
When [[Bowser's Castle]] explodes at the end of the main story, [[Bowser]] hits the screen, cracking it, just like in the original. The same thing happens at the end of [[Believe in Bowser]] in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions#Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser|Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser]]'', but with [[Captain Goomba (Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser)|Captain Goomba]], [[Captain Koopa Troopa]], [[Captain Boo]], and [[Captain Shy Guy (Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser)|Captain Shy Guy]].


====[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong (series)|''Mario vs. Donkey Kong'' series]]====
[[Master Mantis]] might say "You chose well." when selected.
=====''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong]]''=====
At the end of Credits 1 and Credits 2, Mario will say ''"Thanks very much for-to playing my game!"'', a line similar to the one at the end of ''[[#Super Mario 64/DS|Super Mario 64]]''. Also, Mario makes several remarks at the credits in Credits 2 as they pop up (such as ''"Oh, the engineering! Mamamia!"'' and ''"Ooh, don't forget to thank [[Shigeru Miyamoto|Mr. Miyamoto]]."''). Also, Mario breaks the fourth wall in every level (bar the [[Mini Mario (toy)|Mini-Mario]] and boss levels) by smashing the [[Crystal Ball]] against the screen to break it.


=====''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis]]''=====
In the opening cutscene for Penny's Mix, as Penny flies into the WarioWare Inc. building, some water from her [[Jet Tank One]] splashes on the screen.
When the player closes/opens the [[Nintendo DS]], [[Mario]] can be heard talking, sometimes to the player such as "What's up?". Also, in the final cutscene, [[Mario]], [[Donkey Kong]], [[Pauline]] and the [[Toad (species)|Toad]]s are seen waving at the player.


=====''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!]]''=====
=====''[[WarioWare: Move It!]]''=====
When closing the DSi, Mario will either say "''I love this game!''" or "''Hey! You get back here!''" Opening it again will result in him saying things such as "''Let's play again!''"
In the microgame "[[Cheers!]]", if the player fails to touch their cup with the other person's, the drink will splatter all over the screen.


=====''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!]]''=====
In the microgame "[[Octoblocker]]", if the player does not whack the tentacle in time, does not smack the Wario Octopus in time, or does not knock back the cannonball, the screen will crack.
When closing the DS, Mario will say the same things he did in the previous game, along with some new ones, including "''Ow, my head!''" and "''Whatta' you doing?''"


===[[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]]===
In the microgame "[[Blow It Up]]", if the player selects the wrong trigger, some of the objects would break the fourth wall in certain ways.
[[File:Mario & Little Mac K.O.!.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mario]] and [[Little Mac]], having been screen KO'd.]]


When a character is KO'd by being sent off the top blast line, they may occasionally hit the screen before falling and losing one of their stocks. This is called a screen KO.
After the Volcano Wario stage is cleared, Wario responds to the narrator's claim that "everyone" lived happily ever after.


====''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''====
Many voice clips from ''WarioWare Gold'' are reused when the player wins or loses a microgame, including those that reference the player.
When [[Mr. Resetti]] is released from an Assist Trophy, he may tell the players to stop resetting, as he considers it to be a form of cheating in the ''Animal Crossing'' games. Additionally, if the game is being played late at night, he may tell the player to "get some shut-eye".


When using [[Solid Snake]]'s codec on [[Sonic the Hedgehog]] on [[Shadow Moses Island]], [[Otacon]] says that people are excited that he is in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''. In the codec on Mario, [[Colonel]] says that Mario made his first appearance in [[List of games by date#1981|1981]], and in [[Jigglypuff]]'s codec, he says that it takes all kinds of energy in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''; Colonel also mentions the ''[[WarioWare (series)|WarioWare]]'' games in Wario's codec. In [[Pit (character)|Pit]]'s codec, Otacon says that Pit has gone through "''countless trials over the years''", to which Snake replies, "''And by 'trials', you mean '[[Game Over]]s'?''" Finally, when Snake uses his codec on [[Mr. Game & Watch]], Otacon will talk about his first appearance, 1980, and his console, [[Game & Watch]]. There are other Codec Conversations that break the fourth wall as well.
In the microgame "[[Throw Down]]", if the player swings too early, the two characters look at the camera confused.


There is a scene in the [[Subspace Emissary]] mode where Snake reveals himself after being hidden in his cardboard box for a long time. While facing towards the screen, he says "''Kept you waiting, huh?''" There are no other characters in his vicinity during the scene, so he must have been talking to the player - in reference to the fact that a brief scene of him hidden in the cardboard box was shown much earlier in the Subspace Emissary storyline. This is the only time the characters say a full sentence, excluding [[Pokémon]].
====''[[Wario World]]''====
In the manual for ''Wario World'', Wario states "So admit it..... Don't I look cool in the game screens? Those long, muscular legs on my sturdy toned frame.... I'm the perfect specimen of a man ..... What!?!? You say I look fat and my quadruple chin looks like a waterfall of flab? Shut up! That's just because you have your television set up on widescreen display!"


In a similar manner, before facing [[Wolf O'Donnell]] in the Subspace Emissary, Wolf will appear to look at the screen, and strikes a pose at the challenger. Since Wolf doesn't interact with anyone directly, this is likely a sign of breaking the fourth wall.
Whenever the player pauses the game, Wario constantly sings "Na Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na Na!" If the player listens for about 50 minutes, Wario eventually says "Sorry" and stops singing.


During gameplay, super heavy characters, such as [[Bowser]], will shake the screen when they hit the ground after jumping, due to their high weight.
===[[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]]===
[[File:Mario & Little Mac K.O.!.jpg|thumb|[[Mario]] and [[Little Mac]], having been screen KO'd.]]
When a character is KO'd by being sent off the top blast line, they may occasionally hit the screen before falling and losing one of their stocks. This is called a screen KO.


====''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U]]''====
A few [[Assist Trophy|Assist Trophies]] interfere with the display, such as Devil who moves the screen by pointing in a certain direction, and Nintendog, which blocks the screen to prevent players from viewing the battlefield and their characters.  
[[Bowser Jr.]]'s [[Final Smash]], [[Shadow Mario Paint]], involves painting a giant "X" across the screen itself.


In [[Duck Hunt (character)|Duck Hunt]]'s reveal trailer, the dog and the duck actually dodge their introduction statement.
Just like in his original games, one of [[Sonic]]'s idle animations has him looking at the player and tapping his foot impatiently. His other animation has him turning to the camera and waving his finger in a patronizing manner.


In the [[List of Palutena's Guidance conversations|Palutena's Guidance conversation]] for [[Link]], [[Pit (character)|Pit]] mentions how both of them were "born around the same time". [[Palutena]] also mentions [[Pac-Man]]'s creation date during his conversation.
====''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''====
When [[Mr. Resetti]] is released from an Assist Trophy, he may tell the players to stop resetting, as he considers it to be a form of cheating in the ''Animal Crossing'' games. Additionally, if the game is being played late at night, he may tell the player to "get some shut-eye".


Similarly to the previous game, [[Bowser]]'s footsteps cause the screen to shake.
When using [[Solid Snake]]'s codec on [[Sonic|Sonic the Hedgehog]] on [[Shadow Moses Island]], [[Otacon]] says that people are excited that he is in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''. In the codec on Mario, [[smashwiki:Colonel Roy Campbell|Colonel Roy Campbell]] says that Mario made his first appearance in [[List of games by date#1981|1981]], and in [[Jigglypuff]]'s codec, he says that it takes all kinds of energy in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''; Colonel also mentions the ''[[WarioWare (series)|WarioWare]]'' games in Wario's codec. In [[Pit (character)|Pit]]'s codec, Otacon says that Pit has gone through "''countless trials over the years''", to which Snake replies, "''And by 'trials', you mean '[[Game Over]]s'?''" Finally, when Snake uses his codec on [[Mr. Game & Watch]], Otacon talks about his first appearance, 1980, and his console, [[Game & Watch]]. There are other Codec Conversations that break the fourth wall as well.


===''Luigi's Mansion'' series===
There is a scene in [[smashwiki:Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary|The Subspace Emissary]] mode where Snake reveals himself after being hidden in his cardboard box for a long time. While facing towards the screen, he says "''Kept you waiting, huh?''" There are no other characters in his vicinity during the scene, so he must have been talking to the player - in reference to the fact that a brief scene of him hidden in the cardboard box was shown much earlier in the Subspace Emissary storyline. This is the only time the characters say a full sentence, excluding [[bulbapedia:Pokémon (species)|Pokémon]].
====''[[Luigi's Mansion]]''====
[[File:Luigi Fourth Wall.jpg|thumb|right|Luigi breaking the Fourth Wall.]]
[[Melody Pianissima]] plays songs from the earlier ''Mario'' games and asks Luigi what game it appeared in. (''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', ''[[Super Mario World]]'', etc.). She will also play the ''Luigi's Mansion'' theme while Luigi is in the hallway next to the vase with the picture above it. Luigi occasionally hums and whistles the theme as well.


Whenever Luigi gets a key/valuable item, he shows it to the player.
In a similar manner, before facing [[Wolf O'Donnell]] in The Subspace Emissary, Wolf appears to look at the screen, and strikes a pose at the challenger. Since Wolf does not interact with anyone directly, this is likely a sign of breaking the fourth wall.


An [[List of Luigi's Mansion pre-release and unused content|earlier version]] of the game shows Luigi looking at the player in the Foyer.
During gameplay, super heavy characters, such as [[Bowser]], shake the screen when they hit the ground after jumping, due to their high weight.


====''[[Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon]]''====
====''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'' / ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U|Wii U]]''====
Luigi hums the background music to the various mansions when the player doesn't touch the controls for five seconds.
[[File:Shadow Mario Paint Wii U.jpg|thumb|Bowser Jr. paints a giant "X" on the screen.]]
[[Bowser Jr.]]'s [[Final Smash]], [[Shadow Mario Paint]], involves painting a giant "X" across the screen itself.


===''[[Super Princess Peach]]''===
In [[Duck Hunt (character)|Duck Hunt]]'s reveal trailer, the dog and the duck actually dodge their introduction statement.
During the intro sequence, [[Bowser]] will tell the player to shut the door, using the [[Nintendo DS]] stylus, so that he and his minions could continue discussing their plan.


During the ending sequence, the player is asked, ''"So, how did YOU feel about this last adventure?"'' The player is also told that the [[Vibe Scepter]] might be in their house somewhere.
In the [[List of Palutena's Guidance conversations#Link|Palutena's Guidance conversation]] for [[Link]], [[Pit (character)|Pit]] mentions how both of them were "born around the same time". [[Palutena]] also mentions [[Pac-Man]]'s creation date during his conversation.


===''[[Mario Strikers Charged]]''===
In the [[List of Palutena's Guidance conversations#Samus|Palutena's Guidance conversation]] for [[Samus]], Viridi mistakenly refers to Samus as Metroid, with Pit correcting her name. Additionally, Palutena says that [[Link]]'s name is not [[Zelda]] and Viridi states that Pit's name is not Icarus. This is a reference to the fact that many people mistakenly refer to the protagonists by the series' name.
Sometimes, the team captains will look at the screen, making it seem that they're looking at the player. One example is during one of [[Waluigi]]'s losing animations where he looks at the screen and then prepares to punch it.


During Wario's home entrance, he will hum to his own theme.
Similarly to the previous game, [[Bowser]]'s footsteps cause the screen to shake.


===''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]''===
====''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''====
After Mario and [[Mallow]] join [[Geno]] while he's fighting [[Bowyer]], Bowyer will retort that a three-on-one fight isn't fair. To compensate for this, the Y, X, and A buttons of the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] controller will appear in front of him. Bowyer will then fire an [[Aero]] at one of the buttons, which will effectively lock the ability to use that button's commands (magic, items, or attacks). Only one button can ever be locked at once, although Bowyer will continually fire Aeroes at the buttons every few turns until he is defeated.
In the [[List of Palutena's Guidance conversations#Simon|Palutena's Guidance conversation]] for [[Simon Belmont|Simon]], [[Pit (character)|Pit]] mentions how he and Simon "hit the scene around the same time", referring to their shared launch year (1986) of their respective franchises.


Upon defeating [[Culex]], he mentions that "Perhaps in another time, another game, [he and Mario] may have been mortal enemies...", which also references how Culex parodies bosses from the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise.
In the [[List of Palutena's Guidance conversations#Corrin|Palutena's Guidance conversation]] for [[Corrin]], Pit says, "For Nohr! For Hoshido! I make my own fate!" along with Palutena claiming that Pit has found all three paths, referencing the three story paths of ''Fire Emblem Fates''.


During the ending sequence, there is a scene where Mario, Princess Toadstool, Yoshi, Toad, and the [[Chancellor]] wave at the player, with the words "''THANK YOU''" displayed at the top of the screen. The scene ends as the camera irises out on Mario, who then winks at the player.
In the [[List of Palutena's Guidance conversations#Ridley|Palutena's Guidance conversation]] for [[Ridley]], Viridi mentions the various versions of Ridley throughout the ''Metroid'' games and mentions a robot version of Ridley which was invented by Ridley himself. After it is mentioned, Pit wonders if that incarnation is canon to the ''Metroid'' series.


===''[[Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker]]''===
In the new [[List of Palutena's Guidance conversations#Link|Palutena's Guidance conversation]] for [[Link]], Palutena mentions that the Master Sword is the sword that seals Calamity Ganon's power. Pit asks if the sword is overpowered against Ganondorf, with Palutena stating that Ganondorf is from a different game (''Ocarina of Time'') and that this tactic would not work.
During the credits, Toadette looks at the screen and says, "''Oh, no!''"


===''[[Mario Sports Superstars]]''===
When fighting [[Master Hand]], one of his moves involve throwing balls of ink. When the player gets hit by one of the balls, the ink splatters all over the screen.  
[[File:FireBreathSportsSuperstars.jpg|thumb|Bowser's Fire Breath on the screen in one of his golf post-hole animations.]]
During golf, characters will perform their post-hole animations on the player just like in ''Mario Golf: World Tour''.


===Other===
The Squid Sisters Assist Trophy has the camera zooming into them so that the players can easily get KO'd.
====''[[Hotel Mario]]''====
During the intro of the game, after Mario points out how [[Luigi]] points to the screen and says ''"And you gotta help us!"''. In turn, [[Mario]] says ''"If you need instructions on how to get through the [[Hotel]]s check out the enclosed instruction book."''


Throughout the many other cut scenes of the game, Mario and Luigi will continue to speak with the player. These lines include Luigi saying ''"Looks can be deceiving when Koopas are involved"'' whilst facing the screen, and Mario saying ''"Remind me to check"'', ''"You know what they say, all toasters toast toast"'', and ''"When you pinch [[Wendy]]'s [[Penny (enemy)|Pennies]], they pinch back"'' whilst facing the screen.
[[Bowser Jr.]]'s Final Smash, Shadow Mario Paint, returns in this game, functioning similarly to the last game.


Also, at the end of the game, the Mario Bros. and [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]] wave to the player and congratulate them for the completion of the game, and Toadstool even thanks the player individually for helping her.
[[Solid Snake]]'s codec calls from ''Brawl'' return in this game, retaining the fourth wall breaks made in them.


==[[List of television series and films|Television Series]]==
==[[List of television series and films|Television series]]==
Before many of the games listed above came out, the Fourth Wall was broken in several of the cartoon episodes.
Before many of the games listed above came out, the fourth wall was broken in several of the cartoon episodes.


Throughout the three [[DIC Entertainment]] cartoons, commercial bumpers for the shows were announced to the audience by various characters at the start and end of the commercial breaks (i.e. ''"Be right back, paesanos!"'', ''"And now back to ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!''"''). These commercial bumpers can be viewed on the DVD sets of ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'', but were not included on ''The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3'' DVD set. Additionally, the first three weeks of episodes for ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show'' all contained unique bumpers featuring scenes and voice overs related to the episode's live-action segment. All of the later episodes used a few generic bumpers that were announced by Mario, and showcased a still shot from the opening sequence.
Throughout the three [[DIC Entertainment]] cartoons, commercial bumpers for the shows were announced to the audience by various characters at the start and end of the commercial breaks (i.e. "''Be right back, paisanos!''", "''And now back to The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!''"). These commercial bumpers can be viewed on the DVD sets of ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'', but were not included on ''The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3'' DVD set. Additionally, the first three weeks of episodes for ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show'' all contained unique bumpers featuring scenes and voice overs related to the episode's live-action segment. All of the later episodes used a few generic bumpers that were announced by Mario, and showcased a still shot from the opening sequence.


When ''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' aired on NBC during its original run, a character from each of the two upcoming episodes, as well as a character from ''[[Captain N: The Game Master]]'', which aired between the two episodes, would all narrate a preview of the upcoming episodes before the show started. This trend continued with ''[[Super Mario World (television series)|Super Mario World]]''. These previews were not included on the DVDs due to the fact that they are considered the property of NBC.
When ''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' aired on NBC during its original run, a character from each of the two upcoming episodes, as well as a character from ''[[Captain N: The Game Master]]'', which aired between the two episodes, would all narrate a preview of the upcoming episodes before the show started. This trend continued with ''[[Super Mario World (television series)|Super Mario World]]''. These previews were not included on the DVDs due to the fact that they are considered the property of NBC.
===''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]''===
===''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]''===
At the start of the opening sequence, Mario shouts out to the audience ''"Hey, paisanos! It's The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!"''. In the live-action segments that aired from Monday through Thursday, Mario, Luigi, and/or the guest star will tell the audience to watch a preview of Friday's ''[[The Legend of Zelda (cartoon)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' episode. At the end of every episode, Mario, Luigi, and sometimes the guest star will say to the audience ''"Til next time, everyone... [[Do the Mario]]!"''
At the start of the opening sequence, Mario shouts out to the audience "''Hey, paisanos! It's The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!''". In the live-action segments that aired from Monday through Thursday, Mario, Luigi, and/or the guest star tells the audience to watch a preview of Friday's ''[[The Legend of Zelda (television series)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' episode. At the end of every episode, Mario, Luigi, and sometimes the guest star say to the audience "''Til next time, everyone... [[Do the Mario]]!''"
 
;[[Pirates of Koopa]]
;[[Pirates of Koopa]]
After [[Blackbeard Koopa]] kidnaps Princess Toadstool, he asks ''"Would Blackbeard Koopa lie?"'' and winks to the viewers.
After [[Bowser|Blackbeard Koopa]] kidnaps Princess Toadstool, he asks "''Would Blackbeard Koopa lie?''" and winks to the viewers.
 
;[[The Adventures of Sherlock Mario]]
Towards the end of the episode after Professor Kooparity escapes [[Victoria]] via Warp Zone, Mario gives a thumbs up and winks to the viewers.
;[[The Unzappables]]
;[[The Unzappables]]
After Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Toadstool successfully enter the [[Koopa Klub]], [[Mouser]] turn to the audience and says ''"Oy! Some people are really shtupid!"''.
After Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Toadstool successfully enter the [[Koopa Klub]], [[Mouser]] turns to the audience and says "''Oy! Some people are really shtupid!''".
 
;[[Defective Gadgetry]]
;[[Defective Gadgetry]]
Near the start of the segment, Luigi tells Mario to get the door for no apparent reason. At that moment, the doorbell rings and Mario goes to answer it. After taking a few steps, Mario turns to the viewers and utters ''"How does he always know?"''.
Near the start of the segment, Luigi tells Mario to get the door for no apparent reason. At that moment, the doorbell rings and Mario goes to answer it. After taking a few steps, Mario turns to the viewers and utters "''How does he always know?''".
 
;[[The Mark of Zero]]
Right before [[Zero]] first appears, "{{wp|La Bamba}}" plays which El Koopitan and his [[Bowser's Minions|Koopa Pack]] hear. In later English airings it was replaced by an instrumental of "[[List of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 songs#My Karoobi|My Karoobi]]".
;[[George Washington Slept Here]]
After Mario and Luigi fall asleep in a failed attempt to put [[George Washington]] to sleep via hypnotizing, the latter complains about being forced to sit through a "lousy dream sequence".
;[[The Painting]]
;[[The Painting]]
At the end of the segment, [[Howard Stevens]] bids farewell to the audience as if he were hosting a television program. Mario and Luigi then gaze at the camera with startled faces, prompting Luigi to ask Howard whom he was talking to.
At the end of the segment, [[Howard Stevens]] bids farewell to the audience as if he were hosting a television program. Mario and Luigi then gaze at the camera with startled faces, prompting Luigi to ask Howard whom he was talking to.
 
;[[The Koopas are Coming! The Koopas are Coming!]]
After Mario tells [[George Washingtoad]] that it'll take hours to unfreeze his soldiers using his fire power, George Washingtoad looks at the screen and points to it saying that Redcoat Koopa has planned his attack on the [[Thirteen Mushroom Colonies]] at dawn.
;[[The Provolone Ranger]]
;[[The Provolone Ranger]]
At the end of the episode, Mario, upon hearing the mention of dinner, comes running up to [[Pronto]] and an old man at a very high speed. After making his entrance, Mario then says to the viewers ''"And you thought Pronto was fast!"''.
At the end of the episode, Mario, upon hearing the mention of dinner, comes running up to [[Pronto]] and an old man at a very high speed. After making his entrance, Mario then says to the viewers "''And you thought Pronto was fast!''".
 
;[[Star Koopa]]
When Mouser is showing Mario and friends the [[Intergalactic InSinkErator]], Mario tells the viewers "''He's showing a plumber how a garbage disposal works?''" while shrugging before turning back around and listening once more.
;[[Two Bums from Brooklyn]]
;[[Two Bums from Brooklyn]]
After Luigi correctly guesses that Mario had been speaking to [[Tommy Lasagna]] on the phone, Mario turns to the viewers and gripes ''"But how does he always know?"'', much like he did previously in "Defective Gadgetry".
After Luigi correctly guesses that Mario had been speaking to [[Tommy Lasagna]] on the phone, Mario turns to the viewers and gripes "''But how does he always know?''", much like he did previously in "Defective Gadgetry".


===''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]''===
===''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]''===
The term "[[Real World]]" can be considered breaking the fourth wall, as it implies the characters know they are in a make-believe world.
The term "[[Real World]]" can be considered breaking the fourth wall, as it implies the characters know they are in a make-believe world.
 
;[[Princess Toadstool for President]]
When [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]] is talking to [[Bowser|King Koopa]] about the election to be [[Mushroom Kingdom]]'s ruler, [[Larry Koopa|Cheatsy Koopa]] looks at the viewer and says, "''Bad King Dad? (laughs) Are you kidding?''". After he says this, King Koopa says, "''What are you laughing at?''" because he does not understand that Cheatsy was laughing at the audience.
;[[Oh, Brother!]]
At the end of the episode, Mario turns to the audience and says, "Brothers, you can't live with them... you can't live without them." and smiles.
;[[A Toadally Magical Adventure]]
;[[A Toadally Magical Adventure]]
When Mario says to Toad to bring back the [[Pile Driver Micro-Goomba]]s, Toad winks to the audience.
When Mario says to Toad to bring back the [[Pile Driver Micro-Goomba]]s, Toad winks and gives a thumbs up to the audience.
 
;[[Princess Toadstool for President]]
When [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]] was talking to [[Bowser]] about the election to be [[Mushroom Kingdom]]'s ruler, [[Larry Koopa|Cheatsy Koopa]] looks at the watcher and says ''"That's King Dad? (laughs) Are you kidding?"''. After he say this, King Koopa says ''"What are you laughing at?"'' because he doesn't understand that Cheatsy was laughing at the audience.
 
;[[Do the Koopa]]
;[[Do the Koopa]]
When Mario and the gang see the large fire pit they must cross, Luigi takes note of the [[Dark Land]] music in the background and nervously shouts ''"Stop the music!"'', to which the music stops. Luigi tells Mario that they can't cross that pit, but [[Toad]] sees some [[? Block]]s that can help them. Mario calls out for the music to start up, and new, more epic background music plays.
When Mario and the gang see the large fire pit they must cross, Luigi takes note of the Fortress music in the background and nervously shouts, "''Stop the music!''", to which the music stops. Luigi tells Mario that they cannot cross that pit, but [[Toad]] sees some [[? Block]]s that can help them. Mario calls out for the music to start up, and a variation of the [[Sky Land]] ground music plays.
 
;[[True Colors]]
;[[Up, Up, and a Koopa]]
At the end of the episode, Luigi asks if people in the [[Earth|Real World]] will ever accept others regardless of their color, to which Mario, while facing the camera, responds, "''Yeah, when humans get as smart as [[Toad (species)|Mushroom]]s.''"
Later on in the episode, when Princess Toadstool and Toad are flying with [[P-Wing|P-Wings]], Princess Toadstool says to Toad when he complains about his appearance "It's not like you're on television with millions of people watching you!".
 
;[[Recycled Koopa]]
;[[Recycled Koopa]]
At the end of the episode, the [[Statue of Liberty]] comes to life to tell the audience ''"Those Mario Bros. '''are''' super!"''
At the end of the episode, the [[Statue of Liberty]] comes to life to tell the audience, "''Those Mario Bros. '''are''' super!''"
 
;[[Super Koopa (episode)|Super Koopa]]
;[[True Colors]]
King Koopa looks directly at the audience when introducing himself as [[Raccoon Mario|Raccoon Koopa]].
At the end of the episode, Luigi asks if people in the [[Earth|Real World]] will ever accept others regardless of their color, to which Mario, while facing the camera, responds ''"Yeah, when [[human]]s get as smart as [[Toad (species)|Mushroom]]s."''
 
;[[Oh, Brother!]]
At the end of the episode, Mario turns to the audience and says "Brothers, you can't live with them... you can't live without them." and smiles.


===''[[Super Mario World (television series)|Super Mario World]]''===
===''[[Super Mario World (television series)|Super Mario World]]''===
;[[Fire Sale]]
;[[Fire Sale]]
When Mama Fireplant tells her the cave people will freeze without her, Kootie Pie tells the audience that she will have a fire sale if the cave people freeze.
At the end of the episode, the [[Koopa Troopa]] blinks to the audience.
At the end of the episode, the [[Koopa Troopa]] blinks to the audience.
;[[Send in the Clown]]
;[[Send in the Clown]]
When Bowser is luring the cavepeople of [[Dome City]] to his [[Koopaling]] Bros. Circus, he says to the audience ''"This is easier than talking [[Wendy O. Koopa|Kootie Pie]] into a shopping spree!"''.
When Bowser is luring the cavepeople of [[Dome City]] to his [[Koopalings|Koopaling]] Bros. Circus, he says to the audience "''This is easier than talking [[Wendy O. Koopa|Kootie Pie]] into a shopping spree!''".
 
;[[The Night Before Cave Christmas]]
;[[The Night Before Cave Christmas]]
When [[Oogtar]] exclaims "Merry Cave Christmas, Mario-dude!", Mario tells the audience, "Don't you wish every day were Christmas?" Mario might either be talking to the audience or Oogtar.
When [[Oogtar]] exclaims "Merry Cave Christmas, Mario-dude!", Mario tells the audience, "Wouldn't it be nice if every day were Christmas?"
 
;[[King Scoopa Koopa]]
;[[King Scoopa Koopa]]
When the cave-people buy fast food from Scoopa Koopa's Fast Food, Bowser turns to the camera after watching the cave-people buying food and says ''"...it makes me filthy rich at the same time! (laughs) Wait 'til you see the side effects! (laughs) Those bird-brains don't even know what hit 'em! (laughs)"''. Also, when Mario refers to Bowser's bill as highway robbery, Bowser responds by saying ''"Well I call it inflation..."'' before turning to the audience and continuing with ''"...in more ways than one! Wait 'til the calories start piling up in his waistline!"''.
When the cave-people buy fast food from Scoopa Koopa's Fast Food, Bowser turns to the camera after watching the cave-people buying food and says "''...it makes me filthy rich at the same time! (laughs) Wait 'til you see the side effects! (laughs) Those bird-brains don't even know what hit 'em! (laughs)''". Also, when Mario refers to Bowser's bill as highway robbery, Bowser responds by saying "''Well I call it inflation...''" before turning to the audience and continuing with "''...in more ways than one! Wait 'til the calories start piling up in his waistline!''".
 
;[[The Yoshi Shuffle]]
;[[The Yoshi Shuffle]]
When [[Larry Koopa|Cheatsy]] is spying on Mario and Yoshi, he stops to tell the audience ''"I am the Emperor of Eavesdropping!"'', then goes back to spying.
When [[Larry Koopa|Cheatsy]] is spying on Mario and Yoshi, he stops to tell the audience "''I am the Emperor of Eavesdropping!''", then goes back to spying.
;[[A Little Learning]]
When [[Yoshi]] eats the fireball, he looks at the viewers and says, "''Fireballs? Yum!''"
;[[Mama Luigi]]
At the end of the episode, Luigi shrugs to the audience.


===''[[Donkey Kong Country (television series)|Donkey Kong Country]]''===
===''[[Donkey Kong Country (television series)|Donkey Kong Country]]''===
;[[Bad Hair Day]]
;[[Bad Hair Day]]
Cranky breaks the fourth wall at the beginning of the episode to introduce the [[Crystal Coconut]], Donkey Kong, and King K. Rool to the viewers. He later breaks the fourth wall again at [[Bluster Barrelworks]] to explain the purpose of the factory and introduce [[Bluster Kong]].
Cranky breaks the fourth wall at the beginning of the episode to introduce the [[Crystal Coconut]], Donkey Kong, and King K. Rool to the viewers. He later breaks the fourth wall again at [[Bluster Barrelworks]] to explain the purpose of the factory and introduce [[Bluster Kong]].
;[[Buried Treasure (episode)|Buried Treasure]]
;[[Buried Treasure (episode)|Buried Treasure]]
Bluster Kong claims that after he finds the treasure, he will be "an even richer richest ape on Kongo Bongo Island." He then looks and points at the camera and says "And that's rich."
Bluster Kong claims that after he finds the treasure, he will be "an even richer richest ape on Kongo Bongo Island." He then looks and points at the camera and says "And that's rich."


After Krusha explains that the Kongs will take over [[Donkey Kong Island|Kongo Bongo Island]] and turn them into matching luggage if they succeed in finding the treasure, King K. Rool turns to the audience and says, "He does have his moments," indicating that Krusha can be sharp-witted at times.
;[[Ape-Nesia]]
;[[Ape-Nesia]]
Shortly after [[Donkey Kong]] loses his memory, [[Diddy Kong|Diddy]] rushes off to find Cranky, telling DK that he's got problems. DK responds by looking at the camera and saying ''"I'd say ''he's'' the one with the problems."''
Shortly after [[Donkey Kong]] loses his memory, [[Diddy Kong|Diddy]] rushes off to find Cranky, telling DK that he has got problems. DK responds by looking at the camera and saying "''I'd say ''he's'' the one with the problems.''"
 
;[[Barrel, Barrel... Who's Got the Barrel]]
;[[Barrel, Barrel... Who's Got the Barrel]]
When Bluster steals the Crystal Coconut, he whispers to the audience at the start of the music.
When Bluster steals the Crystal Coconut, he whispers to the audience at the start of the music.
;[[Hooray for Holly-Kongo Bongo]]
;[[Hooray for Holly-Kongo Bongo]]
During the songs "I'm Gonna Be a Star" and "Be a Bad Guy", the characters look, point or even refer to the viewer many times.
During the songs "I'm Gonna Be a Star" and "Be a Bad Guy", the characters look, point, and even refer to the viewer many times.
 
;[[It's a Wonderful Life]]
;[[It's a Wonderful Life]]
At the end of the episode, [[Donkey Kong]] blinks to the screen.
At the end of the episode, [[Donkey Kong]] winks at the screen.
 
;[[Just Kidding]]
;[[Just Kidding]]
During the song ''The Coconut is Cursed'', King K. Rool, [[General Klump|Klump]] and [[Krusha (character)|Krusha]] sneeze on the camera. Soon after, Donkey Kong cleans it with a scarf.
During the second song of the episode, King K. Rool, [[General Klump|Klump]], and [[Krusha]] sneeze on the camera. Soon after, Donkey Kong cleans it with a scarf.
;[[Message in a Bottle Show]]
As Bluster Kong is reminiscing about the times he tried and failed to win [[Candy Kong]]'s affection, Donkey Kong interrupts his flashbacks and begins his own flashbacks with Candy Kong, after which Bluster angrily replies "That was my flashback! How'd you do that?" Later on, when Donkey Kong similarly interrupts King K. Rool's flashbacks, K. Rool tells him to "get [his] own dream sequences".


==Print==
==Print==
''[[Super Mario-Kun]]'' frequently breaks the fourth wall usually by heads-up display placement. For instance, in story arcs related to ''Super Mario 64'', Mario's health displays often, at low health. In several instances during the arc based on ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'', the [[Nintendo DS|Nintendo DS Lite]] occasionally illustrates two simultaneous events, mimicking the game. A recurring theme within ''Super Mario-Kun'' is the preview for the future volume; a character partially "rolls" the page in the future volume, covering some of it.
''[[Super Mario-kun]]'' frequently breaks the fourth wall usually by heads-up display placement. For instance, in story arcs related to ''Super Mario 64'', Mario's health displays often, at low health. In several instances during the arc based on ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'', the [[Nintendo DS|Nintendo DS Lite]] occasionally illustrates two simultaneous events, mimicking the game. A recurring theme within ''Super Mario-kun'' is the preview for the future volume; a character partially "rolls" the page in the future volume, covering some of it.


Some dialogue within the ''Super Mario-Kun'' also breaks the fourth wall when trying to explain the plot. In one instance, when Mario questions Stuffwell why a someone is holding a [[Cobalt Star]] shard, Stuffwell dismisses it by saying that it happens regularly in the games.
Some dialogue within ''Super Mario-kun'' also breaks the fourth wall when trying to explain the plot. In one instance, when Mario questions Stuffwell why someone is holding a [[Cobalt Star]] shard, Stuffwell dismisses it by saying that it happens regularly in the games.


[[Category:Game Mechanics]]
==''The Super Mario Bros. Movie''==
At the end of ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'', [[Lumalee]] tells the audience that it is over and all that is left is them and "the infinite void". He then plays the ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' [[Ground Theme (Super Mario Bros.)|Ground Theme]] on a saxophone to start off the [[List of The Super Mario Bros. Movie staff|end credits]] music and winks at the audience right before the credits roll.
 
==References==
<references/>
 
{{Terms}}
[[Category:Terms]]
[[Category:Terms]]
[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]
[[Category:Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]
==References==
<references/>

Latest revision as of 18:26, December 6, 2024

It has been requested that more images be uploaded for this article. Remove this notice only after the additional images have been added. Specific(s): Can we get an image of every instance? If not, at least one per game would also work.

“And hey! You! Out there in front of the TV! Yeah, I'm talking to YOU!”
Lord Crump, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Sometimes, characters from the Super Mario franchise perform an action that implies that they are aware that they are fictional characters. This is known as breaking the fourth wall, a phrase originating from stageplays. Because traditional box set stages have a wall at the back and another on each side, an imaginary "fourth wall" at the front turns the stage, and thereby the world of the story, into an enclosed space separate from the audience. The term is used, in many forms of media even beyond theater, to refer to a separation between the fictional characters and setting, and the work of fiction as it is experienced by the audience. As such, when the former acknowledges the latter, the metaphorical fourth wall is broken.

Note: Video games frequently break the fourth wall in order to address the player with directions (e.g. "Press B to jump"). These instances are not to be recorded here, unless the characters otherwise show awareness that they are in a video game due to the remark.

History[edit]

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[edit]

アリガトウ!, the message.

In the final level of World 9, World 9-4, groups of tile blocks can be found spelling out "アリガトウ!" (Arigato!, meaning "Thank You" in Japanese). Also, the opening of World 9-1 features a message saying "WE PRESENT FANTASY WORLD. LET'S TRY '9' WORLD WITH ONE GAME.", and the Game Over screen for World 9 has a message saying "YOU'RE A SUPER PLAYER! WE HOPE WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN. MARIO & STAFF."

Super Mario World[edit]

The "YOU ARE A SUPER PLAYER!!" message at the end of Funky in Super Mario World

After the Yoshi's Eggs hatch during the ending sequence, the words "THANK YOU" appear as Mario gives the V for victory sign to the player while Princess Toadstool (or Peach in the GBA remake) waves to the player. At the end of the remake, Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, there is no text, though the princess still waves at the player and Mario and Luigi still flash the peace sign. In the last level of the Special Zone, Funky, a group of coins spells out the phrase "YOU ARE A SUPER PLAYER!!" near the end of the level. In the Japanese version of the original game, the "A" is absent.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]

At the game's title's screen, Mario speaks to the player with lines such as "It's-a me, Mario!", "Hello!", and "Press Start to play!"

In the two versions, after Bowser is defeated in Bowser in the Sky, he exclaims, "C'mon, troops! Let's watch the ending together! Gwa ha ha!" Additionally, if Mario retrieves all 120 or 150 Power Stars and then defeats Bowser, he says, "Just you wait until next time. Until then, keep that Control Stick smokin'! Bwaa ha ha!" In the case of Super Mario 64 DS, Bowser mentions the Touch Screen instead of the Control Stick, as the Nintendo DS does not feature a control stick; in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars version of Super Mario 64, he specifically refers to the L Stick.

After the end credits in both versions, Mario is heard saying, "Thank you so much-a for-to playing my game!" He uses the same phrase in Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Super Mario Odyssey, though he removes the "-a" from "much" and the "to" from "for."

In the N64 version, after Mario collects all 120 Stars, shoots to the top of the castle, and talks to Yoshi, he gives Mario the following message: "Thanks for playing Super Mario 64! This is the end of the game, but not the end of the fun. We want you to keep on playing, so we have a little something for you. We hope you like it! Enjoy! --The Super Mario 64 Team" This is followed by Mario's lives counter going up to 100 and getting an enhanced triple jump.

In the case of Super Mario 64 DS, upon closing the Nintendo DS while playing, Mario says "Buh-bye!" to the player, after which the system goes into standby. When the system is opened, he says "It's-a me, Mario!" This also happens in New Super Mario Bros.

When the player defeats the Big Bob-omb in Bob-omb Battlefield, the Big Bob-omb says, "Just select this Star from the menu."

In Super Mario 64 DS, if the player talks to Koopa the Quick after a race, he tells the player, "If you want to race me again, come back later. All you have to do is press START to pause and then select Exit Course."

Super Mario Sunshine[edit]

A Pianta ponders whether this is the end of the game or not.

In the mission Scrubbing Sirena Beach, the hotel manager tells Mario that time is running out and he must hurry, alluding to the timer on the bottom left of the screen indicating how much time Mario has left to clean up the beach. The mentions of the timer are also present in a few other missions, such as Piantas in Need.

After Mario defeats Bowser and Bowser Jr. or enters Corona Mountain for the first time, a certain yellow Pianta in Delfino Plaza ponders whether the game is over and expresses his hopes of something else happening when Mario talks to him.

New Super Mario Bros.[edit]

In the intro, when Mario is hit by the green shell, the words "Super Mario Bros." fall from the sky. A few seconds later, Small Mario runs near it, notices it is misaligned, and jumps to hit the words and straighten them, also causing "New" to appear next to "Super". This only happens after waiting a few seconds on the title screen.

After the end credits, the Touch Screen shows Bowser Jr. dragging his unconscious father back to their home. Bowser Jr. looks to the camera and threateningly growls at the player. He then resumes dragging Bowser.

Similar to Super Mario 64 DS, Mario also says "Buh-bye!" to the player when closing the Nintendo DS. He also says "It's-a me! Mario!" when the player opens the DS and resumes the game, similar to the opening title screen in Super Mario 64 and similar to that in its remake.

The enemies and power-ups do a small dance when there is a little "Paah" vocal (or a windchime when underwater) in the music, such as Goombas jumping up in the air and Koopa Troopas turning to the screen for a split second and rocking their fists.

Super Mario Galaxy[edit]

Much like the ending to Super Mario 64, after the credits roll, Mario or Luigi says "Thank you so much for playing my game" (Luigi, however, removes the "so much" part of the sentence). When 120 Power Stars are collected, after Mario or Luigi thanked the player, Rosalina also thanks the player and says "I will watch over you from beyond the stars."

New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]

In the credits, the players play a minigame where they break blocks to earn coins. These blocks have the credits written on them. If less than four players are playing, the characters not controlled will dance to the music.

The enemies still do a dance to the "Paah" vocals in the music, along with the items and flowers bouncing and blooming to the beat. Also, when underwater, the Cheep Cheeps do a spin whenever there is a windchime in the music and Dry Bones rotate their head when a xylophone sound plays in the fortresses.

Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]

If the player's Wii Remote batteries are low, and they talk to Lubba, he warns the player about the batteries running out in a dangerous place. He frequently makes these kinds of references, such as suggesting that the player go to bed when it is late, or to turn off the game after a certain playing time, especially after getting a Game Over, or tell the player to take a break before playing again. Additionally, if the player plays the game at an early time, Lubba says he is sleepy and that it is rather late to be adventuring.

Sometimes, when the player gets extra lives while there are either two or three save files in the game, Mailtoad says "So this person you share a special bond... Could it be someone from another save file?".

If the player has 70 to 120 Power Stars, then at the end of the credits, Mario says "Thank you so much for playing my game", much like in the previous game and Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS. When playing as Luigi, he says the same thing as its predecessor.

If the player gets a Game Over or goes to a world for the first time, Lubba speaks to the player.

Super Mario 3D Land[edit]

Before the final battle in World 8-Bowser: Part 2, as the floor beneath him and Mario begins to crack, Bowser looks at the player with a worried look.

In Special 8-Crown, a group of Flip Panels near the end activate to spell out the phrase "THANK YOU!!" similar to other thanking messages in Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels and Super Mario World.

New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]

Roy breaking the fourth wall by hanging off the d of EAD.
Roy's tail on the letter "D"

Near the end of the game intro, Ludwig von Koopa uses his magic wand to make the title and multiple coins fall from the sky. This only happens when watching the intro after a few seconds on the title screen.

In the credits, Roy Koopa hangs off the D of EAD with his tail.

After Bowser's battle in the Gold Classics Coin Rush pack, many coins form the sentence "THANK YOU!!" once again.

The enemies still do a dance at the "Paah" vocals.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]

Early screenshot showing Mario staring at the screen.

On the title screen, the characters ground pound to make the title and two Super Acorns appear.

During a level, if any of the characters are left idle when the player does not pause the game, after a certain amount of time, they will turn and stare at them.

The enemies still do a dance to the vocals in the music. Baby Yoshis have an added choir to all the music that they mouth to.

In the credits, the characters not being played dance to the music, and when a character being played runs near the credit letters, they spin around.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]

When the player starts up the game, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad yell out the game's name, followed by one of them saying, "Meow!", along with Rosalina if the player has unlocked her.

The flowers and bushes move along to the music.[1]

The green Sprixie Princess waves to the screen near the end of the credits scene.

Upon completion of Bowser's Lava Lake Keep for the first time, once the transition occurs, shortly after, Bowser's voice can be heard as he pulls back the transition to reveal that he has captured the Sprixies once more.

At the end of Champion's Road is a series of Clear Pipes forming the message "THANK YOU!!" just before the Goal Pole area.

During the credits for Bowser's Fury, Bowser Jr. appears and hums to the music. He waves to the player before he leaves.

Super Mario Odyssey[edit]

Like the previous game, when the player starts up the game, Mario yells out the game's name.

In the E3 demo for Super Mario Odyssey, a New Donker says, "We'll have to wait for the full game to go any further."[2]

The Mario 64 Cap and Outfit could possibly be considered a fourth wall break, as it is a reference to the polygonal textures used in Super Mario 64, where the outfit originated. Additionally, the Toad blocking the doorway to the Courtyard room in the Mushroom Kingdom states that he misses "Mario's blocky polygonal look", which also refers to the block like textures used in said game.

In a similar vein to the Mario 64 Cap and Outfit, the 8-Bit Mario Cap could possibly also be considered a fourth wall break as well, as it is a reference to the sprites used in Super Mario Bros., which was the outfit's origin.

In the Darker Side, a series of power lines that Mario must travel across by capturing a spark pylon spell out the message "THANK YOU" just before the Warp Pipe that leads Mario to the area containing the "Long Journey's End" Multi Moon.

After the credits that appear after the player completes the main game, Mario says, "Thank you so much for playing my game!" like several other games in the series.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder[edit]

If the player reaches WONDER?, the final level, the message inside thanks them for playing and calls them a "super wonder".

Talking Flowers also break the fourth wall occasionally:

  • If the player turns off their voice in the menu, a flower will exclaim, "Oh! Was it something I said?"
  • In the Badge House in Pipe-Rock Plateau, one of the Talking Flowers instructs the player on how to use the Parachute Cap badge by saying "Press R Button in midair!" before commenting "What is R Button, anyway?"
  • After the end credits, a Talking Flower can be heard saying "Come back again sometime, yeah?"
  • If the player revisits WONDER?, a group of Talking Flowers will thank the player for playing.

Mario's Time Machine (PC)[edit]

The final area is Novato in 1993 (1994 in the Deluxe re-release), where the game itself is being developed. Bowser had used the timulator to steal the Floppy Disk containing the final version of the game in an attempt to prevent the game from ever existing so that Mario cannot stop him. Mario encounters several of the game's developers, including David Grenewetzki, Andrew Iverson, Don Lloyd, and Jeff Griffeath, and helps them finish development of the game, eventually returning the Floppy Disk to David Grenewetzki so that the game can be released.

Hotel Mario[edit]

During the intro of the game, after Mario says that they must find Princess Toadstool, Luigi points to the screen and says "And you gotta help us!" In turn, Mario says "If you need instructions on how to get through the hotels, check out the enclosed instruction book."

Throughout the other cutscenes of the game, Mario and Luigi continue to speak with the player. These lines include Luigi saying "Looks can be deceiving when Koopas are involved" whilst facing the screen, and Mario saying "Remind me to check", "You know what they say, all toasters toast toast", "Get the hint?", and "Be careful! When you pinch Wendy's pennies, they pinch back" whilst facing the screen.

At the end of the game, after Princess Toadstool thanks Mario and Luigi for saving her, she turns to the screen and thanks the player as well. Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool then all wave to the player while saying "You're the best player ever!"

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[edit]

After Mario and Mallow join Geno while he is fighting Bowyer, Bowyer retorts that a three-on-one fight is not fair. To compensate for this, the Y, X, and A buttons of the SNES controller appear in front of him. Bowyer then fires an Aero at one of the buttons, which effectively locks the ability to use that button's commands (magic, items, or attacks). Only one button can ever be locked at once, although Bowyer continually fires Aeroes at the buttons every few turns until he is defeated. This also happens when fighting Machine Made copies of Bowyer.

While Dodo is pecking the statues at Nimbus Castle, he runs outside of the room's boundaries to sneakily peck Mario disguising as In Search of Lost Brother.

Upon defeating Culex, he mentions that "Perhaps in another time, another game, [he and Mario] may have been mortal enemies...", which also references how Culex parodies bosses from the Final Fantasy franchise.

During the ending sequence, there is a scene where Mario, Princess Toadstool, Yoshi, Toad, and the Chancellor wave at the player, with the words "THANK YOU" displayed at the top of the screen. The scene ends as the camera irises out on Mario, who then winks at the player.

In the Nintendo Switch remake, Guerrilla's Thought Peek quote, "Don't confuse me with someone else!", is changed to "I am a work of fiction. Any resemblance to preexisting apes is purely coincidental." This is a more accurate translation of their thought quote in the Japanese version of the original game.

Mario Kart series[edit]

Mario Kart 64[edit]

After the credits, Mario says, "Hey, you're very good! See you next time!"

Mario Kart 7[edit]

The second ending screen with all seventeen playable characters.
The ending screen of Mario Kart 7, with all of the characters.

After the credits, Mario shouts "Thanks for playing! Way to go!" or "Thanks for playing! You're the best! Ha ha!" depending on how much the player has progressed during the game, and the default characters or all of the characters wave to the player, including their own Mii.

Mario Kart 8[edit]

Mario yells out the game's name when the game starts; additionally, Mario has the chance to say "Start your engines!", followed by Toad saying, "Let's go!" After playing the Mario Kart 8 demo, Mario also says, "Hey! Thanks for playing!"

In N64 Toad's Turnpike, trucks with Mario Kart 8 on the back and sides can be seen.

While in Mario Kart TV, the player can tap on the Miis to elicit an annoyed response from them.

Additionally, some tracks feature posters of the Mario Kart 8 box art.

Mario Golf series[edit]

Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)[edit]

At the end of the game's intro, Wario's voice is heard quietly saying, "It should've been called Wario Golf. ...You're gonna love it!"

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour[edit]

Waluigi holding the Camelot sign during the opening.
Waluigi holding up the Camelot sign in the opening to Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

Most celebrations have the characters facing the screen at the end of each hole. For example, if Waluigi gets an eagle or better, he dances and spins all across the green until he points to the player, turning around upon realizing he is pointing the wrong way. Prior to the opening, Wario and Waluigi hold up signs for both Nintendo and Camelot, respectively. This also occurs at the start of Mario Power Tennis.

Mario Golf: World Tour[edit]

This is done in the same manner as in the previous game. For example, if Bowser gets an eagle or better, he runs to the screen and breathes fire, or punches the screen if he gets a bogey or worse.

Birdo breaks the fourth wall by kissing the screen if she gets an eagle or better, or shoots eggs at the screen if she gets worse than a bogey. Yoshi breaks the fourth wall by turning into an egg and rolling into the screen if he gets worse than a bogey. Bowser Jr. breaks the fourth wall by using his magic brush to paint the screen if he gets an eagle, albatross, hole in one, or bogey.

Paper Mario series[edit]

In every game except Super Paper Mario, Mario would turn to the camera and give a thumbs up pose.

Paper Mario[edit]

The Koopa Bros.' "Paper Bowser" quote
Jr. Troopa noticing his HP has depleted
Jr. Troopa noticing his depleted HP

If Goombario uses Tattle on a Goomba, the tattle mentions that they have been around since Super Mario Bros.

While Mario is fighting Bowser???, the Koopa Bros. try to lower his confidence by telling him that the phony Bowser is invincible. One of the lines they say is "The sequel should be called Paper Bowser!"

At the beginning of the fourth fight against Jr. Troopa, he actually notices his HP bar when it has dropped to half, and comments that he lost his HP due to swimming across the ocean.

At the end of the game, a Bumpty mentions that Herringway plans to write about Mario's story, coming up with the title "Paper Mario".

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]

PMTTYD Gus Video Game Heroes.png

If Mario gets in the Danger status while fighting Gus, he breaks the fourth wall by acknowledging that "…it'll be Game Over for you!" and that the player can choose their Tactics menu. After Mario defeats Gus, he shouts, "CRUD! You dumb video-game heroes always do this!"

A young Toad in Petalburg says, "There's this one game that just absolutely rules. It's called 'Fire Emblem'...". This reference was written shortly after the international release of Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, the first game in the series to be released outside Japan and seventh installment overall. Paper Mario and Fire Emblem are both developed by Intelligent Systems. In the Japanese version of the game, the Toad kid mentions Super Mario Bros. for the Family Computer instead. Later on, he states that he is a fan of Luigi and says he wants a game called "Paper Luigi". Afterwards, he mentions that he is actually playing the game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and ends up beating it before the player does.[3]

In the original game, after rescuing Koopley from Hooktail, Koops says: "For ten long years we all thought you'd...you know! We thought your game was over!"

While describing how the Happy Lucky Lottery works, Lucky explains that the daily number changes every day in real-time and that he uses the Nintendo GameCube's clock as a reference. If the player sets the GameCube's date back in an attempt to cheat the system, Lucky penalizes them.

In Chapter 3, Hamma Jamma says that 7-1 was his grandfather's 'hood'. In the Spanish version of the game, Rawk Hawk says "The weaklings should stay home playing Super Smash Bros. Melee!" after he beats The Koopinator. In the Nintendo Switch remake, this line was altered to instead mention Super Smash Bros. as a series. When Goombella tattles on Stewart in Glitzville, she tells Mario that Cheep Cheeps have been a part of the Super Mario franchise for a while. In fact, Goombella even says, "Oh, gosh. I just broke through the fourth wall there, didn't I? Sorry. Just forget it."

The same occurs when she tattles on the gatekeeper of Twilight Town, in which she says that the game would be too easy without him. Rather than directly referring to breaking the fourth wall, she only says, "Hee hee... Let's never speak of it again."

Koops breaks the fourth wall after the fight with Doopliss where he says "Sort of easy for a boss battle as it were." Unlike Goombella though, he does not seem to notice that he broke the fourth wall. Doopliss also breaks the fourth wall during the chapter by removing the letter "p" from the naming screen.

Professor Frankly referring to the person "in front of the TV"
Lord Crump (disguised) referring to the person "in front of the TV" in the original game (left) and remake (right)
Lord Crump (disguised) referring to the person "in front of the TV" in the original game (left) and remake (right)
Lord Crump (disguised) referring to the person "in front of the TV" in the original game (left) and remake (right)

Just before Mario begins Chapter 5, Professor Frankly is about to tell them very important and long information concerning the Thousand-Year Door. He asks if they are ready to hear it, and then says, "And you there! In front of the TV! You listen up, too!". In the remake, this line was changed to mention a screen instead of a TV to compensate for how the game can be played in handheld mode. Mario's current partner out questions Professor Frankly's statement:

  • Goombella: "TV? You don't have a TV! What in the world are you talking about?" (GameCube) / "Screen? What screen?! What in the world are you talking about?" (Switch)
  • Koops: "Ummm... Who are you talking to, sir?"
  • Flurrie: "I declare, you've gone batty. What TV? To whom are you speaking, Frankly?" (GameCube) / "Pardon? What screen? If I may speak frankly, Frankly, you're speaking utter nonsense!" (Switch)
  • Yoshi Kid: "Did someone pile-drive your head, or what? I don't see any TV here, nutjob!" (GameCube) / "Did someone piledrive your head, or what? I don't see any screen here, Professor Poindexter!" (Switch)
  • Vivian: "Maybe I'm missing something... Are you talking to no one?"
  • Ms. Mowz: "You strange, strange man. What did THAT mean?"

Frankly then yells at them, saying to disregard it as he continues. Later during the chapter, Lord Crump (under his alias, "Four Eyes") tells the player that they had better not tell Mario who he really is, though it is impossible to even use Mario to attack him until the end of the chapter. This line was also changed in the remake to mention a screen instead of a TV.

Outside of the room which contains the black chest, Goombella says in her tattle, "We're inside Pirate's Grotto. There's a sunken ship here. Something good inside? 'Cause that's how it always is in video games... right? ♥"

After Chapter 6, when Bowser makes it to Rawk Hawk's secret training facility, Rawk Hawk appears. As soon as he appears, he points at the camera insultingly asking the player if they forgot him. If the player returns to the Excess Express, a young Toad appears in Cabin 007. Should the player talk to him, he asks Mario a quiz: "What did Bowser nab in the last Paper Mario?" The options are "The Star Cookie", "The Star Rod", and "Someone's Lunch".

In the Palace of Shadow, if Mario allows the Dry Bones to force him to the center of the room, Mario's partner warns him that the floor will swallow them up. If Mario does not move to prevent this, his partner screams that they are doomed. If Yoshi Kid is Mario's partner at the time, he says, "Awww, game over, man! WHOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAA!" However, this one may be a reference to a famous line from Aliens.

Super Paper Mario[edit]

Swoon.exe
Swoon.exe

Several characters, the first one being Bestovius, refer to a certain button when explaining how to perform an action. When Mario asks what they mean by pressing that certain button, the character assures them not to worry, and that the great being that watches them (the player) will know what it means. For example, when encountered, Thoreau says: "What's this One Button, you say? You need not worry. The great being that watches us will know what it is." However, during Garson's story "Stylish Moves," he states that Mario can perform one by shaking the Wii Remote; when Mario asks what the remote is, Garson replies, "What? What's a Wii Remote? ...Don't worry. As long as the player gets it, we're fine," outright stating the existence of the player rather than alluding to them.

Before fighting him in Chapter 3-1, Bowser shouts to Mario, "No more sequels!" and that he will finish him off, describing himself as "Grade A, 100% prime-cut final boss." Later, during Chapter 3-4, the last option for Princess Peach on the Swoon.exe results in her angrily demanding to know who is picking these answers for her.

The Sammer Guy Mystical Whistle claims that no one can beat him without using hacks, a reference to players who use cheat codes and devices to make games easier. Another Sammer Guy named Invisible Brock claims that no one could find him without using a game guide.

The Underwhere itself is a break in the fourth wall, because its inhabitants say that their game had ended. As with the rest of the series, death is referred to as getting a game over.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star[edit]

During the introduction, after Bowser wears the Royal Sticker, a Toad can be seen stuck on the top-left corner of the screen for a few seconds before flying away.

If the player refuses to hear the Battle Spin tutorial four times, Kersti says "You know what? Forget you! Here--pick one of these answers so we can move on." The resulting answers are "Yes" and "Yeah", forcing the player to do the tutorial anyway.

When Mario uses a Slaphammer sticker and manages to do a "Nice" move or better, the enemy is flung in the air, and crash into the screen. This also happens with Mario when Bowser slaps him in the final phase of his fight.

When Mario uses any cutting Thing sticker in battle, it attacks by cutting the screen to pieces.

During a battle against a Snifit or a Shy Guy, after the player's turn of 3 stickers ends, they might attack by shoving away the last attack panel; this forces the player to use only one sticker during their next turn, and Shy Guys and Snifits can do this repeatedly until there is only one attack panel.

In The Enigmansion, when Mario is about to fight Big Boo, the whole environment pauses as soon as Kamek passes by the screen, and resumes playing after leaving.

If Mario runs away from the fight with Bowser Jr. during Bowser Jr.'s Flotilla, he proclaims himself final boss.

Paper Mario: Color Splash[edit]

Huey breaks the fourth wall in Kiwano Temple
Huey breaks the fourth wall after he saves Mario.

Certain Thing Cards break the fourth wall when used in battle:

  • When the Fan Thing Card is used, all of the enemies fly into the screen before falling.
  • When the Turnip Thing Card is used, it slices the screen to pieces, much like the cutting Things in the previous games.
  • When the Washing Machine Thing Card is used, the screen is rolled up and placed in the machine, which proceeds to wash it.

When Huey realizes that the red Mini Paint Star in Ruddy Road has lost most of its color, he exclaims, "What in The Lost Levels is going on here?"

At the Crimson Tower, after Morton breaks the bridge, Mario can get advice from Huey. He says, "Morton broke the floor, so we can't get to the top! I wish life was a video game. Then we could just press Y Button to make a staircase appear!"

Before Mario falls in Kiwano Temple, Huey saves him and says that Mario would have seen the Game Over screen if not for him.

When Mario fights a Blue Slurp Snifit in battle, one of the things it says is "This is not a game!" due to the game itself having goofy humor.

On Vortex Island, a purple Toad wants to reach the Save Block behind a metal pole. He is worried and resists the urge to "power off," and goes to save his progress once Mario hammers down the pole.

In Snifit or Whiffit at the Cobalt Base, the Snifit warns Mario that making a mistake in the Bonus Round gives him an instant Game Over and the save file will disappear forever. Shortly after he says this, he says he is just kidding about the disappearing save file, but is serious about the instant Game Over in the Bonus Round.

Mustard Café
A Snifit in the Snifit Undersand Hideout breaking the fourth wall.

Underneath the Mustard Café, a yellow Snifit throws Mario in jail and threatens him not to escape before realizing that they cannot do anything other than throwing him in jail without changing the age rating of the game.

Larry breaks the fourth wall when Mario approaches him
Larry breaks the fourth wall.

If Mario runs away from Larry and comes back, Larry says, "The Sunset Express and the Big Paint Star both belong to me! But if you're really itching to see that Game Over screen, come at me!"

When Mario repaints a green Toad at the beginning of Mossrock Theater, the Toad says that the forest is creepy. He continues, "I mean, just listen to this music!" referring to the music in the level.

After the green Big Paint Star is collected and the final memory is seen, Huey says that the game's events would not have happened if a "no mixing colors" sign was put next to the Prisma Fountain.

When the player beats the game, the Toad with the Prisma Times in Port Prisma says "Prisma Fountain Restored! Game Beaten! Not sure what "game beaten" means, but would you like to watch the Prisma Splash parade again?"

Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]

Bowser breaks the fourth wall in Paper Mario: The Origami King
Bowser breaks the fourth wall in Paper Mario: The Origami King

If Mario tries to go through the locked door on the right of Peach's Castle, Bowser mentions that there is probably nothing on the other side and they should patch the rest of the castle in, referring to the developers of the game.

In Toad Town, if Mario is attacked by the Paper Macho Goomba with a Shy Guy stuck in it, the Shy Guy says, "Don’t get a game over before you save me!"

After Mario defeats Colored Pencils, he states that Mario is better when he was a side-scroller.

If Mario constantly refuses to allow Bob-omb to join the party in the Toad Tram, Olivia states they will never reach Autumn Mountain at this rate, urging the player to let Bob-omb join in order to progress with the game.

Before the performances in Shogun Studios, one of the rules that Rubber Band states is that opening the menu while on stage is prohibited. This also happens with the Shangri-Spa Toad statue at Scuffle Island.

Moments after Bowser Jr. gets deprived of his color and energy at the Spring of Jungle Mist, Kamek will react with a blank text box, then state that he was so shocked that all of the color drained from his "typeface" just then.

Just before the second phase of King Olly's boss fight, Bowser (just after being folded into a giant origami sumo wrestler by Olivia) declares to show the former how a "real final boss fights".

Mario Party series[edit]

Mario Party[edit]

On Peach's Birthday Cake, landing on a Happening Space and purchasing a Strawberry Seed for 30 coins to grow a Piranha Plant prompts the Goomba to say "Isn't it a pretty flower?", followed by the player's character slowly turning around and awkwardly looking at the player. In this game only, the same action occurs when being forced into buying a Ztar on Mario's Rainbow Castle.

Mario Party 3[edit]

If the player completes Story Mode with all S's, the Millennium Star tells the player, "You're spectacular. Truly spectacular. I imagine the development staff of Mario Party 3 is pleased as well. Keep up the good work."

On the character select screen, each character says "Good choice!" when chosen (except Yoshi and Donkey Kong). They say this again in Mario Party 4 and 5.

Mario Party 5[edit]

Wario fails the Head Waiter minigame in Mario Party 5
The fourth wall's effect in the minigame Head Waiter

When the Bowser-shaped bomb explodes in Head Waiter, the person holding it flies into the screen, tilting it.

Mario Party 6[edit]

Peach and Toad say, "Good choice!" when selected, just like in Mario Party 4 and 5. Also, Wario says, "You've picked Wario!" when selected. This also happens in Mario Party 7.

Mario Party Advance[edit]

After a round of Bowser Land, Bowser looks at the player, saying, "That was fun! Come again soon!"

Mario Party 8[edit]

When starting the game, MC Ballyhoo flies up into the air toward the camera, telling the player, "Welcome to the Star Carnival!"

After MC Ballyhoo is concerned with Bowser having stolen the Star Rod, he says, "But wait! We have YOU!", referring to the player.

On the Star Carnival Stage, there are two screens that show an 8-bit sprite of the words "MARIO PARTY 8."

Mario Party 9[edit]

On the main menu, Yellow Toad speaks to the player.

When Wario or Toad are chosen on the character selection screen, they might say "Good choice!"

When the players land on a Bowser Space, Bowser roars, and it breaks the screen. This does not happen on Bowser Station.

Mario Party 10[edit]

When a character releases Bowser with all of the numbers on the Dice Block, Bowser appears by slashing through the screen with his claws (except for Chaos Castle). This also applies to the end of the Bowser Battle minigames during Bowser Party and amiibo Party as well as the North American commercial showing the gameplay for Bowser Party.[4]

Mario Party: Star Rush[edit]

Bowser's Fence Fury from Mario Party: Star Rush
Donkey Kong and Wario hitting the screen in Bowser's Fence Fury.

In Bowser's Fence Fury, players who get knocked by Bowser hit and crack the screen.

During the minigame Rolls for Moles, if the player scores a Perfect in the minigame, the last Monty Mole hit by the ball bumps into the top screen and slides down it.

Super Mario Party[edit]

After the end credits, Toad, Toadette, and Kamek wave to the player and eventually, all of the playable characters also wave to the player along with a text that reads "Thanks for playing!" similar to the scene after the staff credits in Mario Party: Island Tour.

Super Mario Party Jamboree[edit]

In the Koopathlon mode, before the Survivathon minigame begins, Impostor Bowser appears by punching and breaking the screen. When landing on a Bowser Space on King Bowser's Keep, Impostor Bowser may sometimes punch the roulette while it is spinning, causing it to shatter.

After the credits in Party-Planner Trek, text reading "Thank you for playing!" will appear, along with the playable cast posing for the player.

Luigi's Mansion series[edit]

Luigi's Mansion[edit]

In dark rooms and hallways, Luigi hums or whistles the Main Theme while exploring, even if the music is not playing. Melody Pianissima plays songs from the earlier Super Mario games and asks Luigi what game it appeared in. (Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, etc.). She also plays the Luigi's Mansion theme while Luigi is in the hallway next to the vase with the picture above it.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon[edit]

Luigi hums the background music to the various mansions when the player does not touch the controls for five seconds.

During part of E. Gadd's opening dialog, Luigi faces the player, points to E. Gadd, and performs the cuckoo motion.

Luigi's Mansion 3[edit]

Luigi hums the elevator's background music when the player stays idle for a few seconds if the elevator is not moving.

Also, at the end of the credits, Luigi says, "Bye, everybody!"

Mario & Luigi series[edit]

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions[edit]

Bowser breaking the screen.
Bowser breaking the screen at the end of the game.
Bowser breaking the fourth wall in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
Bowser hitting the screen in the remake.

When Bowser's Castle plunges into the ocean (GBA) or explodes (3DS), Bowser hits the screen, cracking it, and slides down (he sticks onto it in the 3DS version). The same thing happens at the end of Believe in Bowser in Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser, but with Captain Goomba, Captain Koopa Troopa, Captain Boo, and Captain Shy Guy.

In Mushroom Plaza, when Mario talks to the Toad by the fountain, he asks him if he wants to hear about Action Commands. If the player selects "No" every time, the Toad tells them, "Action Commands are... Well... Go read the Instruction Booklet."

In an area of the Woohoo Hooniversity that contains no enemies, but several objects to be studied, there is a room with four blocks in it: one from Super Mario Bros., one from Super Mario World, one from Super Mario 64, and one from Paper Mario. If Mario or Luigi strikes the block, they read a description of the block, which says what game it is from. (i.e. Block used in Super Mario Bros.)

When Princess Peach first visits the Beanbean Kingdom, Mario and Luigi react to her speech bubble appearing, expecting the explosive vocabulary.

In the remake, Mario and Luigi's stats are displayed on the touch screen in battle. When fighting Iggy, he casts a spell on the display that switches the stats around.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time[edit]

When the player opens up the Start Button menu after getting a bean the first time, Stuffwell will say to the player, "Sorry to disturb you!"

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story / Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey[edit]

After beating the game and after the cake picture, Chakron directly compliments the player.

The last one of Bowser's ranks is "Final Boss", referencing that Bowser is the final boss in most Super Mario games.

If the player talks to Toadbert after beating Junker, he mentions a dream where he hears the "A Button B Button X Button Y Button L Button R Button Y Button X Button B Button A Button" buttons being pressed. Inputting this code speeds up the timer in the scene in the Lumbar Nook.

When the Elite Trio announce their betrayal of Bowser after shoving him into the safe in the Treasure Chamber, they look at the viewer and tell them to say "extra rations".

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]

After freeing Brickle in Mushrise Park by increasing the water pressure on the fountain that he is stuck in, the top part of the fountain is launched high into the air. It collides with the screen, getting stuck in it. It pops back out, shattering the screen and falling back down.

Britta warns Mario and Luigi that it will be "game over" if they do not pay attention while using the Drilldigger.

Volumes of The Legend of Pi'illo Island are found in the game. An additional Author's Postscript can be found, where Pi'illoper breaks the fourth wall in-universe by explaining why he wrote them to Mario and Luigi.

One of the signs in Mushrise Park tells the player to look at the touch screen if they get lost. It is written by the Mushrise Park staff. (It is likely to have been written by Brickle due to the heavy Bronx accent seen on the sign).

If Mario and Luigi drink from the fountain on Mount Pajamaja, they fall asleep and have a nightmare. At the end of the nightmare, "Game Over" appears on the screen during the dream. Shortly after, Prince Dreambert wakes them up.

If Giant Luigi is hit by some of Mount Pajamaja's attacks, Mario is knocked into the screen. Bros. Attacks cannot be used until he returns.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam[edit]

After Nabbit has stolen Bros. Attacks, Toad laments that, if Bros. Attacks were lost, it is over for not only for Toad himself, but also for Mario and Luigi, the Mushroom Kingdom, and the game as a whole. He then breaks into tears and says that it is going to be "Game Over for all of us".

After Paper Mario uses the Copy Block for the first time, Starlow reads the number of copies on the UI and says that there are six of him.

Before Peach and Paper Peach are kidnapped, they say that it is "that point in the story."

In the shops at the Toad Villages, Mario can talk to a Toad who buys and sells ? Cards. If Mario sells a card to him, a message appears saying that the card has been sold; it gets cut off as the Toad protests that the interaction has to be kept secret.

Before the Paper Petey Piranha boss fight, the Monologue Toad that Petey grabbed tells the player "I'm as anxious as you are to move on, but please don't press R Button to fast forward!" The Toad then launches into a very long explanation of why Petey Piranha is here when they already defeated him while an onscreen prompt appears saying "You can fast-forward with R Button".

At one point, Starlow breaks the fourth wall by looking at the player and saying "And now... back to the adventure!" (referencing Stuffwell's catchphrase from Partners in Time).

When Luigi is separated from Mario and Paper Mario, Starlow references the Year of Luigi to cheer Luigi up, and saying "It's basically Luigi RPG now!".

While the trio climbs the Paper Toad staircase to Neo Bowser Castle, along with compliments like, "You can do it!" or tips like "Eat a healthy breakfast!", another Paper Toad says "Save your game frequently..."

Mario & Luigi: Brothership[edit]

Reclusa appearing on the title screen in ‘'Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Reclusa on the title screen

If the player stays on the title screen while the screen displays the Soli-Tree, Reclusa, the overarching villain and final boss of the game, will eventually pop up from the sides before he pops up from the bottom up close to the camera to laugh at the player.

Shun (and Ten on the far left) on the title screen in Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Ten and Shun on the title screen

This also occurs to a lesser extent earlier in the game if the player stays on the title screen while it displays Fortess Zokket. The Extension Corps fly across the screen, with Shun appearing to look towards the player while doing so.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong series[edit]

Mario vs. Donkey Kong[edit]

At the end of Credits 1 and Credits 2, Mario says "Thanks very much for-to playing my game!", a line similar to the one at the end of Super Mario 64. Also, Mario makes several remarks at the credits in Credits 2 as they pop up (such as "Oh, the engineering! Mamamia!" and "Ooh, don't forget to thank Mr. Miyamoto."). Also, Mario breaks the fourth wall in every level (bar the Mini-Mario and boss levels) by smashing the Crystal Ball against the screen to break it.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis[edit]

When the player closes/opens the Nintendo DS or Nintendo 3DS, Mario can be heard talking, sometimes to the player such as "What's up?". Also, in the final cutscene, Mario, Donkey Kong, Pauline and the Toads are seen waving at the player.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again![edit]

When closing the Nintendo DSi or Nintendo 3DS, Mario says "I love this game!" and "Hey! You! Come back-a here!" Opening the system again results in him saying things such as "Let's play again!"

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem![edit]

When closing the Nintendo DS or Nintendo 3DS, Mario says the same things he did in the previous game, along with some new ones, including "Ow, my head!" and "Whatta' you doing?" After the credits of the second ending, Pauline says, "Bye-bye! Thanks for playing!" and Mario says, "Well, that was a fun game!"

Mario Tennis series[edit]

Mario Power Tennis[edit]

In his singles celebration, after eating Luigi, Yoshi looks at the player and shrugs. Donkey Kong also looks at the player and scratches his head in his singles celebration after grabbing his trophy from Toad, causing him to pass out. Also, outtakes occur during the credits.

Mario Tennis Aces[edit]

Mario Tennis Aces trailer featuring Rafael Nadal

In the cutscene following the credits, Mario leaves his signature on the screen; he also does this in the game's trailer featuring Rafael Nadal.

Super Princess Peach[edit]

During the intro sequence, Bowser tells the player to shut the door, using the Nintendo DS stylus, so that he and his minions can continue discussing their plan.

During the ending sequence, the player is asked, "So, how did YOU feel about this last adventure?" The player is also told that the Vibe Scepter might be in their house somewhere.

Mario Strikers Charged[edit]

Sometimes, the team captains look at the screen, making it seem that they are looking at the player. One example is if the player scores a goal against Waluigi, it triggers one of his animations where he looks at the screen and then proceeds to punch it while shouting "Cheese!" in frustration.

During Wario's home entrance, he hums to his own theme.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker[edit]

After the credits, when Captain Toad chases either a Green Star in the Wii U version or the Odyssey in the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch versions, Toadette, after attempting to call Captain Toad back a few times to no success, looks at the screen and says, "Oh, no!"

Mario Sports Superstars[edit]

During golf, Bowser, Birdo, and Yoshi perform their post-hole animations on the player just like in Mario Golf: World Tour.

Mario + Rabbids series[edit]

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle[edit]

In all four worlds, there are certain instruments scattered around that emit no sounds themselves, but their movement goes along to the background music: blue trumpets in Ancient Gardens, drums played by bouncing balls in Sherbet Desert, harps played by vines in Spooky Trails, and steam exhausts in Lava Pit.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope[edit]

Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Mario and Rayman waving to the camera in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Mario and Rayman breaking the fourth wall

After Allegra restores Melodic Gardens' musical nature at the end of The Last Spark Hunter DLC, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, Rabbid Luigi, Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Mario, Edge, and Rabbid Rosalina all smile at the player.

Before the credits start in the Rayman in the Phantom Show DLC, Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Mario and Rayman wave goodbye towards the camera.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020[edit]

In the game's intro, Silver the Hedgehog attacks Donkey Kong during a match of Dream Karate, causing the latter to fly into the screen and fall down.

Princess Peach: Showtime![edit]

Before the end credits, Princess Peach winks and thanks the player, similarly to how Mario does this in several Super Mario games.

Donkey Kong franchise[edit]

Cranky offers the player his "wealth of gameplaying wisdom for this unnecessary sequel".

Throughout the franchise, from Donkey Kong Country onward, whenever the player visits Cranky Kong he constantly remarks about how the games of yesteryear are superior to modern games, and often whines about how the game that he is in is too easy for someone like him to complete. The instruction booklets also contain even more remarks of this nature.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble![edit]

Blunder breaks the fourth wall by accusing Kiddy and Dixie of using Nintendo Power's guide to find Krematoa.
Blunder breaks the fourth wall.

If the Kongs manage to find Krematoa without speaking with Blunder, he says "I can't believe you found the Lost World on your own! I bet you cheeky so and so's used Nintendo Power's guide! I know I did!"

Donkey Kong 64[edit]

If the player highlights on Chunky in the Tag Barrel, he'll shake his head and point to Tiny, telling the player to not select him.

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast[edit]

If the player hovers over the "Back" button on the main menu, Diddy Kong arrives and waves goodbye to the player.

Yoshi franchise[edit]

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island[edit]

In a secret area in Jungle Rhythm..., there is a Message Block that gives the message "We, the Mario team poured our hearts and souls into creating this game for your entertainment. It is full of secrets. Enjoy!" In the Game Boy Advance remake, the message is changed to "How do you like this game? Goodies are hidden in every level, you know. You should look all over if you want to get 100 points! Investigate anything that looks suspicious."

In a secret area in Sluggy the Unshaven's Fort, there is a Message Block mentioning a secret code for a Mini Battle select screen. The message reads as follows, "This is Top Secret so LISTEN UP! On the Level Selection screen, hold Select Button and press X Button, X Button, Y Button, B Button and A Button!!" (This code is changed to L Button, L Button, B Button, A Button and R Button in Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3.)

Yoshi's Story[edit]

Each time the player eats a Heart Fruit after playing a level's minigame, a row of coins forming a letter appears. If the player puts all the letters from each level in order, it reveals the message "YOU ARE YOSHI'S GREAT PARTNER!"

Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3[edit]

If the player gets a perfect score in every stage, a message comes up saying "Congratulations! What an amazing job! You are the [number] Yoshi to adventure on Yoshi's Island." The number to be shown here is the number of lives spent before the game's completion plus one (for example, if the player has lost 300 lives before completing the game, the message says that they are the 301st Yoshi).

Yoshi's New Island[edit]

Yellow Yoshi breaking the fourth wall in Fort Bucket Booby Trap
Yellow Yoshi breaking the fourth wall

If Yellow Yoshi is hit by a hammer in Fort Bucket Booby Trap, he is knocked into the screen and slides down it, resulting in the player losing a life.

After the credits, Bowser, who is behind the credits screen, smashes the screen if the Flutter Wings were used in at least one level. He then tells the player that they will be able to fight him after completing every level without using the Flutter Wings.

Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World[edit]

In the Scrapbook Theater, if the player presses the A button on the Ukiki, it scratches its head and looks at the player after a few seconds.

If the player is with Poochy, he dances if the player collects a Wonder Wool or collects a Smiley Flower that Poochy brings to them.

In the fifth short in the port Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, "Chaaarge!", Poochy looks and runs towards the viewer(s), Poochy then falls over when he hits the screen. Also in the short "What Goes Up... ?", after Poochy looks up for a bit, he then looks at the viewer(s) and wags his tail.

Yoshi's Crafted World[edit]

In the level Weighing Acorns, while waiting for the bus, Yoshi hums the level's background music.

Wario franchise[edit]

Wario's Woods (SNES)[edit]

After defeating the player in the VS. COM mode, Sven tells Toad that he was "glad that [the player] didn't reset the game when he saw it was hopeless."

Wario Land series[edit]

Wario Land 4[edit]
Wario's Homerun Derby
The Wario baseball breaking the screen

In the minigame Wario's Homerun Derby, if the player hits a home run, the ball is sent toward the screen, breaking it.

In the manual, Wario complains about his transformations caused by enemies and blames the developers.

Wario Land: Shake It![edit]

If the Wii Remote is left idle, Wario may say, "Come on, pick it up and play."

WarioWare series[edit]

Heads Up microgame.
High-Speed Chase microgame.
Heads Up and High-Speed Chase literally breaking the fourth wall
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$![edit]

In the microgame "Heads Up," if the player fails to catch the ball and it goes out of bounds, it breaks a hole in the screen and the catcher looks at it.

At the end of Mona's microgame category, she is looking at the customers while serving ice cream. The camera then irises out at her face, stops, and Mona winks at the player.

WarioWare: Twisted![edit]

In Orbulon's story, the Alien Bunny he orders to massage him is not doing so strong enough. Orbulon then tells the player, "You out there, take over."

In the microgame High-Speed Chase, if the player fails to run from the chasing object, Wario is sent towards the screen, breaking it.

In the microgame Robotomy, letting a red robot run into the screen will cause it to crack.

WarioWare: Touched![edit]

In the microgame "Rump Roast", if the player taps the horse's head, the horse angrily looks at the player.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves[edit]

In Kat & Ana's stage, losing a microgame causes a turtle to be hit by a cannonball and fly into the screen.

In Level 2 of the microgame "Skip It", if the player successfully makes the hippo jump over the rope twice, she kisses the screen, leaving a lipstick stain on it.

In the microgame "Swat Team", if the player fails to swat the fly, it flies towards the screen.

In the microgame "Roll Model", if the player makes Wario dodge the spears, he jumps towards the player.

In the microgame "Not the Face!", letting a projectile hit the screen will cause the screen to crack.

In the microgame "Helping Hand", letting a person fall will cause the screen to crack as it screams.

In Level 3 of the microgame "Soiled Reputation", if the player manages to successfully hoe the soil thrice, a dinosaur skeleton resurfaces from the soil, roars, and faces the screen while waving to the player or lunges at the screen.

WarioWare: D.I.Y.[edit]

During the lesson on how to draw a background for the Ladybug microgame, Wario notices that the music has changed as soon as the player taps on the stamp tool.

Game & Wario[edit]

In the minigame Ashley, Ashley tells the player, "You with the GamePad! You're gonna have to guide me."

Also, if the player blows on the GamePad, Ashley tries to cover her skirt as it goes up and gives the player an angry look.

WarioWare Gold[edit]

Throughout the game, Wario speaks to the player, and is even aware of the player clearing the levels.

In the microgame "Parking Lot Problems", if a player fails to choose any car by the end of the microgame, the person stops and angrily looks towards the player.

The microgames "Heads Up" and "Rump Roast" retain their fourth wall breaks.

In the microgame "I Came, I Saw", there are a few scenarios in which the worm is surprised and looks at the player, complete with an exclamation mark over its head.

In 5-Volt's stage, if the player fails a microgame, she may ask, "Did your hand slip?" If the same occurs in Ashley & Red's stage, Ashley may say, "You must be cursed..." Additionally, there are several other voice clips whether the player wins or loses a microgame, like Wario saying, "Aw, what you do?!" after the player loses three times in a row and Mona occasionally saying, "Aren't you clever?" when the player avoids a trick.

During the Wario Deluxe stage, Wario asks if the player is ready to collect their reward, and turns into Wario Deluxe. He then tells the player they will "always be number 2". He eventually starts using his powers to hide the control hints, before telling the player that they could always give up. After that, Lulu pops some balloons on his hot air balloon and jumps on him to grab the gold potty, after which she looks at the screen and tells the player to "win this thing."

After completing any of the stages in any of the leagues, a message appears from the character that hosts the stage, mostly warning them about the next stage.

After the Wario Deluxe stage is cleared, while Wario adamantly tells Lulu to take the pot and announces the Wario Bowl to be over, she brings up the credits, which are interrupted when the rest of the cast demand their payment.

Most of Wario Deluxe's interruptions in the "Wario Interrupts" challenge involve using his powers to alter the Touch Screen or block the player's view. Like his stage in the main game, he can also hide the control hints.

On the main menu while "Story" is highlighted, after its description on the top screen fully scrolls by once, it will change to say, "You're still here? Do you LIKE hanging around on menu screens or something?"

After getting a Game Over in the minigame Pumpkin Panic, Ashley will say, "You're still here?"

WarioWare: Get It Together![edit]

At the end of the game's intro cutscene, the camera pans into Wario's handheld in a manner that gives the effect of the player using it when playing in handheld mode.

Most crew members warn the player that they are on their last life when the player loses the first three. They also thank the player when they give them Prezzies.

Master Mantis might say "You chose well." when selected.

In the opening cutscene for Penny's Mix, as Penny flies into the WarioWare Inc. building, some water from her Jet Tank One splashes on the screen.

WarioWare: Move It![edit]

In the microgame "Cheers!", if the player fails to touch their cup with the other person's, the drink will splatter all over the screen.

In the microgame "Octoblocker", if the player does not whack the tentacle in time, does not smack the Wario Octopus in time, or does not knock back the cannonball, the screen will crack.

In the microgame "Blow It Up", if the player selects the wrong trigger, some of the objects would break the fourth wall in certain ways.

After the Volcano Wario stage is cleared, Wario responds to the narrator's claim that "everyone" lived happily ever after.

Many voice clips from WarioWare Gold are reused when the player wins or loses a microgame, including those that reference the player.

In the microgame "Throw Down", if the player swings too early, the two characters look at the camera confused.

Wario World[edit]

In the manual for Wario World, Wario states "So admit it..... Don't I look cool in the game screens? Those long, muscular legs on my sturdy toned frame.... I'm the perfect specimen of a man ..... What!?!? You say I look fat and my quadruple chin looks like a waterfall of flab? Shut up! That's just because you have your television set up on widescreen display!"

Whenever the player pauses the game, Wario constantly sings "Na Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na Na!" If the player listens for about 50 minutes, Wario eventually says "Sorry" and stops singing.

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

Mario and Little Mac, breaking the fourth wall.
Mario and Little Mac, having been screen KO'd.

When a character is KO'd by being sent off the top blast line, they may occasionally hit the screen before falling and losing one of their stocks. This is called a screen KO.

A few Assist Trophies interfere with the display, such as Devil who moves the screen by pointing in a certain direction, and Nintendog, which blocks the screen to prevent players from viewing the battlefield and their characters.

Just like in his original games, one of Sonic's idle animations has him looking at the player and tapping his foot impatiently. His other animation has him turning to the camera and waving his finger in a patronizing manner.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

When Mr. Resetti is released from an Assist Trophy, he may tell the players to stop resetting, as he considers it to be a form of cheating in the Animal Crossing games. Additionally, if the game is being played late at night, he may tell the player to "get some shut-eye".

When using Solid Snake's codec on Sonic the Hedgehog on Shadow Moses Island, Otacon says that people are excited that he is in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In the codec on Mario, Colonel Roy Campbell says that Mario made his first appearance in 1981, and in Jigglypuff's codec, he says that it takes all kinds of energy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl; Colonel also mentions the WarioWare games in Wario's codec. In Pit's codec, Otacon says that Pit has gone through "countless trials over the years", to which Snake replies, "And by 'trials', you mean 'Game Overs'?" Finally, when Snake uses his codec on Mr. Game & Watch, Otacon talks about his first appearance, 1980, and his console, Game & Watch. There are other Codec Conversations that break the fourth wall as well.

There is a scene in The Subspace Emissary mode where Snake reveals himself after being hidden in his cardboard box for a long time. While facing towards the screen, he says "Kept you waiting, huh?" There are no other characters in his vicinity during the scene, so he must have been talking to the player - in reference to the fact that a brief scene of him hidden in the cardboard box was shown much earlier in the Subspace Emissary storyline. This is the only time the characters say a full sentence, excluding Pokémon.

In a similar manner, before facing Wolf O'Donnell in The Subspace Emissary, Wolf appears to look at the screen, and strikes a pose at the challenger. Since Wolf does not interact with anyone directly, this is likely a sign of breaking the fourth wall.

During gameplay, super heavy characters, such as Bowser, shake the screen when they hit the ground after jumping, due to their high weight.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U[edit]

Shadow Mario Paint in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Bowser Jr. paints a giant "X" on the screen.

Bowser Jr.'s Final Smash, Shadow Mario Paint, involves painting a giant "X" across the screen itself.

In Duck Hunt's reveal trailer, the dog and the duck actually dodge their introduction statement.

In the Palutena's Guidance conversation for Link, Pit mentions how both of them were "born around the same time". Palutena also mentions Pac-Man's creation date during his conversation.

In the Palutena's Guidance conversation for Samus, Viridi mistakenly refers to Samus as Metroid, with Pit correcting her name. Additionally, Palutena says that Link's name is not Zelda and Viridi states that Pit's name is not Icarus. This is a reference to the fact that many people mistakenly refer to the protagonists by the series' name.

Similarly to the previous game, Bowser's footsteps cause the screen to shake.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

In the Palutena's Guidance conversation for Simon, Pit mentions how he and Simon "hit the scene around the same time", referring to their shared launch year (1986) of their respective franchises.

In the Palutena's Guidance conversation for Corrin, Pit says, "For Nohr! For Hoshido! I make my own fate!" along with Palutena claiming that Pit has found all three paths, referencing the three story paths of Fire Emblem Fates.

In the Palutena's Guidance conversation for Ridley, Viridi mentions the various versions of Ridley throughout the Metroid games and mentions a robot version of Ridley which was invented by Ridley himself. After it is mentioned, Pit wonders if that incarnation is canon to the Metroid series.

In the new Palutena's Guidance conversation for Link, Palutena mentions that the Master Sword is the sword that seals Calamity Ganon's power. Pit asks if the sword is overpowered against Ganondorf, with Palutena stating that Ganondorf is from a different game (Ocarina of Time) and that this tactic would not work.

When fighting Master Hand, one of his moves involve throwing balls of ink. When the player gets hit by one of the balls, the ink splatters all over the screen.

The Squid Sisters Assist Trophy has the camera zooming into them so that the players can easily get KO'd.

Bowser Jr.'s Final Smash, Shadow Mario Paint, returns in this game, functioning similarly to the last game.

Solid Snake's codec calls from Brawl return in this game, retaining the fourth wall breaks made in them.

Television series[edit]

Before many of the games listed above came out, the fourth wall was broken in several of the cartoon episodes.

Throughout the three DIC Entertainment cartoons, commercial bumpers for the shows were announced to the audience by various characters at the start and end of the commercial breaks (i.e. "Be right back, paisanos!", "And now back to The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!"). These commercial bumpers can be viewed on the DVD sets of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, but were not included on The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 DVD set. Additionally, the first three weeks of episodes for The Super Mario Bros. Super Show all contained unique bumpers featuring scenes and voice overs related to the episode's live-action segment. All of the later episodes used a few generic bumpers that were announced by Mario, and showcased a still shot from the opening sequence.

When The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 aired on NBC during its original run, a character from each of the two upcoming episodes, as well as a character from Captain N: The Game Master, which aired between the two episodes, would all narrate a preview of the upcoming episodes before the show started. This trend continued with Super Mario World. These previews were not included on the DVDs due to the fact that they are considered the property of NBC.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show![edit]

At the start of the opening sequence, Mario shouts out to the audience "Hey, paisanos! It's The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!". In the live-action segments that aired from Monday through Thursday, Mario, Luigi, and/or the guest star tells the audience to watch a preview of Friday's The Legend of Zelda episode. At the end of every episode, Mario, Luigi, and sometimes the guest star say to the audience "Til next time, everyone... Do the Mario!"

Pirates of Koopa

After Blackbeard Koopa kidnaps Princess Toadstool, he asks "Would Blackbeard Koopa lie?" and winks to the viewers.

The Adventures of Sherlock Mario

Towards the end of the episode after Professor Kooparity escapes Victoria via Warp Zone, Mario gives a thumbs up and winks to the viewers.

The Unzappables

After Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Toadstool successfully enter the Koopa Klub, Mouser turns to the audience and says "Oy! Some people are really shtupid!".

Defective Gadgetry

Near the start of the segment, Luigi tells Mario to get the door for no apparent reason. At that moment, the doorbell rings and Mario goes to answer it. After taking a few steps, Mario turns to the viewers and utters "How does he always know?".

The Mark of Zero

Right before Zero first appears, "La Bamba" plays which El Koopitan and his Koopa Pack hear. In later English airings it was replaced by an instrumental of "My Karoobi".

George Washington Slept Here

After Mario and Luigi fall asleep in a failed attempt to put George Washington to sleep via hypnotizing, the latter complains about being forced to sit through a "lousy dream sequence".

The Painting

At the end of the segment, Howard Stevens bids farewell to the audience as if he were hosting a television program. Mario and Luigi then gaze at the camera with startled faces, prompting Luigi to ask Howard whom he was talking to.

The Koopas are Coming! The Koopas are Coming!

After Mario tells George Washingtoad that it'll take hours to unfreeze his soldiers using his fire power, George Washingtoad looks at the screen and points to it saying that Redcoat Koopa has planned his attack on the Thirteen Mushroom Colonies at dawn.

The Provolone Ranger

At the end of the episode, Mario, upon hearing the mention of dinner, comes running up to Pronto and an old man at a very high speed. After making his entrance, Mario then says to the viewers "And you thought Pronto was fast!".

Star Koopa

When Mouser is showing Mario and friends the Intergalactic InSinkErator, Mario tells the viewers "He's showing a plumber how a garbage disposal works?" while shrugging before turning back around and listening once more.

Two Bums from Brooklyn

After Luigi correctly guesses that Mario had been speaking to Tommy Lasagna on the phone, Mario turns to the viewers and gripes "But how does he always know?", much like he did previously in "Defective Gadgetry".

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

The term "Real World" can be considered breaking the fourth wall, as it implies the characters know they are in a make-believe world.

Princess Toadstool for President

When Princess Toadstool is talking to King Koopa about the election to be Mushroom Kingdom's ruler, Cheatsy Koopa looks at the viewer and says, "Bad King Dad? (laughs) Are you kidding?". After he says this, King Koopa says, "What are you laughing at?" because he does not understand that Cheatsy was laughing at the audience.

Oh, Brother!

At the end of the episode, Mario turns to the audience and says, "Brothers, you can't live with them... you can't live without them." and smiles.

A Toadally Magical Adventure

When Mario says to Toad to bring back the Pile Driver Micro-Goombas, Toad winks and gives a thumbs up to the audience.

Do the Koopa

When Mario and the gang see the large fire pit they must cross, Luigi takes note of the Fortress music in the background and nervously shouts, "Stop the music!", to which the music stops. Luigi tells Mario that they cannot cross that pit, but Toad sees some ? Blocks that can help them. Mario calls out for the music to start up, and a variation of the Sky Land ground music plays.

True Colors

At the end of the episode, Luigi asks if people in the Real World will ever accept others regardless of their color, to which Mario, while facing the camera, responds, "Yeah, when humans get as smart as Mushrooms."

Recycled Koopa

At the end of the episode, the Statue of Liberty comes to life to tell the audience, "Those Mario Bros. are super!"

Super Koopa

King Koopa looks directly at the audience when introducing himself as Raccoon Koopa.

Super Mario World[edit]

Fire Sale

When Mama Fireplant tells her the cave people will freeze without her, Kootie Pie tells the audience that she will have a fire sale if the cave people freeze.

At the end of the episode, the Koopa Troopa blinks to the audience.

Send in the Clown

When Bowser is luring the cavepeople of Dome City to his Koopaling Bros. Circus, he says to the audience "This is easier than talking Kootie Pie into a shopping spree!".

The Night Before Cave Christmas

When Oogtar exclaims "Merry Cave Christmas, Mario-dude!", Mario tells the audience, "Wouldn't it be nice if every day were Christmas?"

King Scoopa Koopa

When the cave-people buy fast food from Scoopa Koopa's Fast Food, Bowser turns to the camera after watching the cave-people buying food and says "...it makes me filthy rich at the same time! (laughs) Wait 'til you see the side effects! (laughs) Those bird-brains don't even know what hit 'em! (laughs)". Also, when Mario refers to Bowser's bill as highway robbery, Bowser responds by saying "Well I call it inflation..." before turning to the audience and continuing with "...in more ways than one! Wait 'til the calories start piling up in his waistline!".

The Yoshi Shuffle

When Cheatsy is spying on Mario and Yoshi, he stops to tell the audience "I am the Emperor of Eavesdropping!", then goes back to spying.

A Little Learning

When Yoshi eats the fireball, he looks at the viewers and says, "Fireballs? Yum!"

Mama Luigi

At the end of the episode, Luigi shrugs to the audience.

Donkey Kong Country[edit]

Bad Hair Day

Cranky breaks the fourth wall at the beginning of the episode to introduce the Crystal Coconut, Donkey Kong, and King K. Rool to the viewers. He later breaks the fourth wall again at Bluster Barrelworks to explain the purpose of the factory and introduce Bluster Kong.

Buried Treasure

Bluster Kong claims that after he finds the treasure, he will be "an even richer richest ape on Kongo Bongo Island." He then looks and points at the camera and says "And that's rich."

After Krusha explains that the Kongs will take over Kongo Bongo Island and turn them into matching luggage if they succeed in finding the treasure, King K. Rool turns to the audience and says, "He does have his moments," indicating that Krusha can be sharp-witted at times.

Ape-Nesia

Shortly after Donkey Kong loses his memory, Diddy rushes off to find Cranky, telling DK that he has got problems. DK responds by looking at the camera and saying "I'd say he's the one with the problems."

Barrel, Barrel... Who's Got the Barrel

When Bluster steals the Crystal Coconut, he whispers to the audience at the start of the music.

Hooray for Holly-Kongo Bongo

During the songs "I'm Gonna Be a Star" and "Be a Bad Guy", the characters look, point, and even refer to the viewer many times.

It's a Wonderful Life

At the end of the episode, Donkey Kong winks at the screen.

Just Kidding

During the second song of the episode, King K. Rool, Klump, and Krusha sneeze on the camera. Soon after, Donkey Kong cleans it with a scarf.

Message in a Bottle Show

As Bluster Kong is reminiscing about the times he tried and failed to win Candy Kong's affection, Donkey Kong interrupts his flashbacks and begins his own flashbacks with Candy Kong, after which Bluster angrily replies "That was my flashback! How'd you do that?" Later on, when Donkey Kong similarly interrupts King K. Rool's flashbacks, K. Rool tells him to "get [his] own dream sequences".

Print[edit]

Super Mario-kun frequently breaks the fourth wall usually by heads-up display placement. For instance, in story arcs related to Super Mario 64, Mario's health displays often, at low health. In several instances during the arc based on Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, the Nintendo DS Lite occasionally illustrates two simultaneous events, mimicking the game. A recurring theme within Super Mario-kun is the preview for the future volume; a character partially "rolls" the page in the future volume, covering some of it.

Some dialogue within Super Mario-kun also breaks the fourth wall when trying to explain the plot. In one instance, when Mario questions Stuffwell why someone is holding a Cobalt Star shard, Stuffwell dismisses it by saying that it happens regularly in the games.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]

At the end of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Lumalee tells the audience that it is over and all that is left is them and "the infinite void". He then plays the Super Mario Bros. Ground Theme on a saxophone to start off the end credits music and winks at the audience right before the credits roll.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Mankalor (June 15, 2014). Super Mario 3D World - More Details You May Not Have Noticed. YouTube (English). Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  2. ^ Nintendo World Report TV (June 21, 2017). Super Mario Odyssey Finding Pauline's Band (E3 2017) (04:25). YouTube (English). Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  3. ^ Mandelin, Clyde (January 15, 2014). Legit Translation… or Clever Fire Emblem Advertisement?. Legends of Localization (English). Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  4. ^ Nintendo of America (March 3, 2015). Mario Party 10 US Commercial: Bowser Party. YouTube (American English). Retrieved June 26, 2024.[dead link]