SUPER MARIO-KUN
So, right off the bat, I do feel the need to apologize. My research into the various manga has been spotty at best, and I have often had to resort to relying on simple synopses for my understanding of what happened in them all. I did my best, I really did. I searched everywhere I could, gave myself several headaches and my computer several viruses, and did everything possible short of actually buying the physical books from Japan and bankrupting myself in the process. Just know, there will be holes here. I did do everything I could to at least verify there weren't potential characters in those missing sections.
So first up is Super Mario-Kun, the most famous Mario manga, written by Yukio Sawada and has been running continuously since 1991. As far as I can tell though, it is mostly just a humorous retelling of the plots of various games, with Mario and company coming across the various elements of said games and telling a bunch of poop and fart jokes in response. What I was able to read wasn't my speed, but hey, apparently a lot of people out there do enjoy it.
The most important takeaway here, in terms of characters, is the manga version of Mario himself. The manga portrays him as an uncontrollable, nigh-indestructible agent of chaos and randomness with nothing running through his brain except the next pun he can make to exasperate everyone around him, and responding to every hit he takes with Looney Tunes slapstick. Across the various chapters and synopses I read, he: swung golf clubs, caused explosions, used the cap, star, fire flower, and mushrooms, gained a Moon power-up, created clones of himself, wielded a Mushroom Sword, mixed and matched various power ups, rolled around, used the fly swatter from Mario Paint, flew with bunny ears, drilled through the ground, inflated like a balloon, turned into a statue, wore the armor of Bowser's troops, injected a giant syringe, fired a pipe bazooka, became a chef, wore egg shells as armor, used the caps from Super Mario 64, threw a lightning bolt, wore gloves that caused friction, used a time machine, fired stars from a gun, got flattened, and used a spring made of ice. I'd say that gives him enough to work with.
Here's what we've got so far:
Characters:
Mario-Kun: golf clubs, explosions, cap, star, fire flower, mushrooms, Moon power-up, clones, Mushroom Sword, mixed power ups, rolled around, fly swatter, bunny ears, drilled, balloon, statue, armor of Bowser's troops, giant syringe, pipe bazooka, chef, egg shell armor, caps from Super Mario 64, lightning bolt, friction gloves, time machine, star gun, flattened, ice spring
Wario: jetpack, charge
Mona: scooter, boomerang, pets
Jimmy T.: super dash
Ashley & Red: broom, spells, bombs
9-Volt: skateboard, yo-yo
18-Volt: head ring, used as grappling hook
5-Volt: evil side teleport
Kat & Ana: bounce
Dribble & Spitz: taxi, bazookas
Young Cricket: super jump
Master Mantis: walk on ceiling
Dr. Crygor: jetpack
Penny Crygor: Jet Tank 1
Mike: music notes
Orbulon: flying saucer, tractor beam
Lulu: fly with bow, ground pound
Pyoro: tongue, fly, boss battle, eyeballs, everything from before
Stages:
Wario Ware
Diamond City
Inside of Game
Mona's Mansion
Diamond City Castle
Penny's Lab
Manga Page
Thanks for reading! Now, let's cover the Mario manga run by Kodansha!