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When designing an iconic gaming character, giving them larger-than-life features is the way to go. Even games with more realistic graphics can utilize more cartoony design-philosophies in order to make sure a character's appearance sticks in the player's head long after the credits roll.
What could be better to this end than a big, bushy mustache? This simple growth of upper-lip hair can be styled in so many different ways that no two look alike, and so many iconic characters from gaming history simply don't look right without one. Over the years, plenty of characters have grown facial hair, but only a select few are defined by it.
8 Waluigi
The lanky man that has captured the hearts of the internet in recent years, Waluigi can often be seen twiddling his mustache. First introduced in Mario Tennis, Waluigi was created as the opposite of Luigi, in the same way that Wario is the opposite of Mario.
As the internet would let you know, he has been somewhat underappreciated by Nintendo, most famously being snubbed for a spot on the Super Smash Bros Ultimate roster. Nintendo has yet to capitalize on the popularity of Waluigi properly, but it's certain this purple mustachioed menace will get his time in the spotlight eventually.
7 Dr. Wily
The big bad behind all the evil robots in the Mega Man franchise, Dr. Wily has caused no small amount of trouble for the Blue Bomber over the years. He saw the development of sentient robots as a fool's errand, seeking only to use them as tools.
Eventually, growing increasingly bitter towards the world, he turned many of the Robot Masters evil in order to rule the world. Like any classic villain, he is thwarted every time but always lives to fight another day. Seemingly having an endless amount of sentient robots to throw at the world, and not aging a day since 1987.
6 Bald Bull
An iconic opponent in a classic game, Bald Bull is a rough and tough boxer from Turkey. Serving as the 7th and 10th opponent in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, he is one of the game's more infamous opponents, save for Mike Tyson himself.
As part of Punch-Out!!'s classic formula for recognizing patterns and reacting in time to avoid them, Bald Bull had a brilliant special move, the Bull Charge. He backs up before blasting forward at the player, it will instantly knock a player down if it hits. Thankfully, a well-timed punch to the gut right before the move hits will instantly KO Bald Bull.
5 Wario
There cannot be good without evil in this world, and Wario has been trying to remind his rival Mario of that for decades. Wario was developed by the team working on the Super Mario Land games. They were disgruntled about having to work with a character they didn't create, and thus, Wario was born, representing the anger that led the team to create him.
He's become a vital character to the Mario franchise ever since, getting a myriad of solo appearances to show off his fun characterization. He's had platformers that show his attitude and greed, while the WarioWare games show off his chaotic and fun-loving nature. He even got to blow things up in a Bomberman game, aptly titled Wario Blast.
4 Sir Hammerlock
With a classic, bushy Victorian mustache, Sir Hammerlock gives everything that classic "keep calm and carry on" attitude, with a little bit of bullheadedness to top it off. Dressed in an old-timey explorer uniform and a monocle, or at least a prosthetic that looks like one.
He is the first human ally plays will come across in Borderlands 2, and like everyone in the game, will quickly start using the player as an errand boy for all sorts of quests. Hammerlock's quest mostly involves "surveying" the local environment, a task which often takes the form of putting as many bullets in as big a creature as possible.
3 Alakazam
It's not just humans that can have mustaches. The Pokemon franchise breaks all the rules when it comes to designing their creatures, and just about every human-like feature has been attributed to a monster somewhere in the games' history.
Alakazam was the first to wear a mustache and arguably wears it the best. This powerful Psychic Pokemon is said to have an IQ of over 5000, making it the most intelligent being in existence, and that long mustache gives it the look of an old sensei with boundless wisdom to offer.
2 Dr. Robotnik/Eggman
When it comes to exaggerated proportions and facial hair quite literally larger than a head, there is no better than Eggman. The eternal enemy of Sonic the Hedgehog, Eggman has done it all over the years. He's turned creatures into robots, ripped a hole in the spacetime continuum (more than once), turned Sonic into a Werewolf, and even built a lovely theme park.
Naturally, all of these things would end badly for Eggman, sometimes even leading to him needing to help Sonic once things got out of his control. He's one of gaming's most memorable villains, especially in the Sonic franchise's modern era, as he has had some excellent vocal performances, not to mention Jim Carey taking up the role in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie.
1 Mario
It's almost a cliche to call Mario gaming's most iconic mustache, but it's the simple truth of the plumber's status in gaming history. Few characters from gaming's early history have held onto the spotlight quite like Mario, who continually features in critically-acclaimed games in the modern era.
While some gamers may not like Mario because of how he defined gaming for so long, it's hard to deny him that status. Every gaming franchise has its stinkers, but Mario games are arguably the most consistent out there in terms of quality. That wouldn't be possible without the love people have for the character, and the care developers pour into all of his games.