Normally, in a regular video game or TV series, a heated rivalry between two characters will last a little while before eventually subsiding for one reason or another, but this isn't exactly the case for a lot of Nintendo games. Instead, many of Nintendo's series feature rivalries that have literally been going on for decades by this point, and as a result, it's made them incredibly memorable and iconic, especially when these feuds feel a little more personal.

Because 'power scaling' isn't really a focus of most Nintendo games, it means that many of these rivalries don't emerge because two people simply want to test who's stronger, but instead, are often more centered around different ideals and beliefs.

On the other hand, though, there's also a good number of Nintendo rivalries that are all about two characters butting heads just because they love the competition and enjoy nothing more than getting under their opponent's skin. Regardless of how they once started, these Nintendo rivalries listed below have still been an absolute joy to watch over the years, with many of them still continuing on to this very day.

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6 Kirby & Meta Knight

Kirby's Lazy Nature Irritated Meta Knight So Much That It Turned The Two Into Arch-Rivals

Kirby and Meta Knight couldn't be any more different to one another. While the former is a care-free and chirpy pink bundle of joy, the latter is an intimidating dark knight who's stoic personality is perfectly showcased through his menacing face mask which he can always be seen wearing. Though Meta Knight fights for his own personal reasons, he almost always ends up clashing with Kirby, despite the two not having any real hatred for one another.

It's more just the fact that Kirby often fails to fully understand Meta Knight's plans, and will therefore see him as just another obstacle in his way, albeit, an obstacle who constantly reappears to take him on time and time again. As is confirmed in Kirby Super Star for the SNES though, the core of their feud is simply the fact that Meta Knight hates laziness, and since Kirby thoroughly enjoys taking naps whenever he can, it was only a matter of time before they'd become arch-rivals.

5 Fox & Falco

Even During Chaotic Galactic Gunfights, Fox And Falco Are Always Finding Ways To Compete With One Another

Fox and Falco may be on the same team, but this doesn't stop them from competing with one another every chance they get, even if it's in the middle of a galactic firefight. Having been friends ever since they were young, Fox and Falco have shared a brotherly bond for all of their lives, so when Fox had the chance to hire his brash and outgoing rival to his mercenaries-for-hire team, needless to say, he jumped at the opportunity.

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Because Falco's piloting skills are equal, if not superior to Fox, it means that they are constantly trying out-do one another, but while Fox usually stays within the guidelines of the mission, Falco can sometimes go a little overboard to prove his worth. This actually happens numerous times throughout Star Fox and Star Fox 64 where Falco finds himself in dire situations after trying just a bit too hard to show-up Fox, but there's no denying that having a friendly rival as part of the team is a great way to spice up the dialogue and competitive nature of the gameplay, making every mission that much more exciting as a result.

4 Samus & Ridley

Samus And Ridley's Personal Rivalry Stems All The Way Back To Samus' Childhood

Although Ridley initially seemed as though he might just be a simple throwaway boss in the first Metroid, the dangerous space-pirate actually makes numerous appearances throughout the series, sporting new cybernetics, abilities, and upgrades in an attempt to take down Samus for good. As is eventually confirmed through the Metroid manga and Metroid Fusion though, the relationship between these two actually goes back a very long way, and more specifically, back to Samus' childhood where Ridley mercilessly killed her mother before taunting the young girl about her sudden loss.

Samus may not have been able to fight back then, but now that she's a fully-fledged bounty hunter with plenty of weapons and gadgets in her arsenal, she's proven on numerous occasions that she's more than capable of taking down her mother's murderer, though these encounters are often far from easy. This underlying personal hatred shared between the two makes this iconic rivalry even more intriguing to watch, but considering that Ridley is constantly being cloned and re-built, it's unlikely that Samus will ever be able to escape his clutches once and for all.

3 Hilbert/Hilda & N

N Is Often Regarded As Being One Of The Most Complex And Intriguing Rivals In All Of Pokemon

Every Pokemon rival has something unique that they bring to the table, but in terms of N, many fans of the series often argue that he is by far the most well-written and complex of the bunch. Growing up as an orphan, N was eventually taken in by a mysterious man known as Ghetsis who would manipulate N into becoming a "Hero", but in reality, he was secretly molding the young boy to become the new king of Team Plasma. Ghetsis even went as far as to gift N several Pokemon that he knew had been mistreated by humans, in order to warp N's mind to believe that humans and Pokemon really are incomplete, and should therefore be separated at all costs.

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Needless to say, this is in stark contrast to the protagonist of Black and White who collects Pokemon along their journey and forms close bonds with them to eventually become a champion. Over the course of the game, after witnessing first-hand the close relationships that can be shared between humans and Pokemon, N begins to see through Ghetsis' manipulation and apologizes for his stubbornness, resulting in a heartfelt ending to the best rivalry seen in a Pokemon game to date.

2 Link & Ganon

Ganon's Obsession With Chaos And Destruction Is Directly Opposed To Link's Desire For Peace

Ganondorf may look entirely different every time he shows up in a new Zelda game, but it doesn't matter what sort of makeover he's received, Link always knows all too-well that the only thing the Demon King is concerned with is causing as much chaos in the world as possible. Although there are many reasons why the long-running rivalry between Link and Ganon has become so iconic over the years, a big one is the simple fact that Ganon is always presented as being absurdly strong. This means that Link always feels like the underdog who is tasked with going to the extremes in order to prepare for his fateful battle against the behemoth, with pretty much every game following this basic formula.

Link and Ganon have fought countless times, and considering that he's still making regular appearances in recent titles, it seems as though this trend is only going to continue. In addition to this, both of these characters also became rivals because of their drastically opposing world views. While Ganon is only concerned with conquest and destruction, Link, in his many iterations, always values peace and prosperity, with their drastically different outlooks inevitably resulting in a rivalry that spans across entire timelines.

1 Mario & Bowser

No Matter How Many Times Mario Thwarts Bowser's Plans, The King Of The Koopas Will Never Give Up On Achieving His Ultimate Goal

Quite possibly the very first rivalry ever seen in a video game, Mario and Bowser have been going at it for over three decades, and even now, there are no signs of the two ever making peace, especially after all they've been through. Bowser's mission is pretty simple; kidnap Princess Peach and defeat Maio to take over the Mushroom Kingdom once and for all, and although he has admittedly come pretty close to achieving this, everyone's favorite Italian plumber still manages to thwart him on every occasion. This has resulted in a classic rivalry which has also become pretty comical over the years, since the two have actually acknowledged on numerous occasions the staggering amount of times that they've been forced to butt heads.

Not someone to be embarrassed by a rival though, Bowser never gives up his quest, even stating in Mario and Luigi: Dream Team that "Losing is not an option", with the king of the Koopas constantly thinking up new and clever ways to go about kidnapping Peach, without Mario getting in the way. Bowser's superior strength and massive army of monsters does still make him a formidable foe who can actually be very intimidating at times, but so long as he's still plotting evil schemes, Mario will similarly be there to stop him, with the two being more or less inseparable from one another, which is always the sign of a good rivalry.

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