As the Mushroom Kingdom cast continues to grow with nearly every mainline Mario game, the potential roster of the upcoming Mario Golf: Super Rush is looking unclear. Aside from the character's seen in Mario Golf: Super Rush's debut trailer, little is known is known about Nintendo's next Mario styled trip to the golf course.
When it comes to titles like this though, one of the most important questions that keeps fans guessing is which characters are going to make the cut. Thanks to a potential leak on Nintendo's website, fans may have already discovered one of the game's returning characters, but there is still plenty of mystery left as to who else could be featured.
Pauline
Since her reintroduction into the mainline series with Super Mario Odyssey, Pauline has earned herself a new fanbase. Once seen as Mario's damsel, Pauline is most likely better known now for her role as mayor of New Donk City. While this might not give her royalty status, it should be more than enough to give her a chance at playing a few rounds with all of the other princesses. Outside of Super Mario Odyssey, Pauline has had limited appearances, so if she's to maintain her newfound mayoral fame, Pauline needs to be included in Mario Golf: Super Rush's roster.
Nabbit
Nabbit seems like a shoo-in for the list of playable characters in Mario Golf: Super Rush. Introduced in New Super Mario Bros. U, Nabbit's entire character revolved around players chasing him throughout different stages and trying to catch him. With Mario Golf: Super Rush's newest mode being Speed Golf, a mode where players are literally racing along the different courses, it seems like it's Nabbit's time to shine.
Nabbit's been featured in plenty of side games like Mario Party 10 since his original appearance, despite not making it into any of the other mainline games. Possibly the main fact increasing Nabbit's chances of making it onto the roster is the fact that rascally rabbit was already included in the last Mario Golf title, Mario Golf: World Tour. It would be a surprise if Nabbit sat this next game out.
King Boo
Thanks to the recent leaks, fans are all but certain of a certain king's return after a longtime absence. To round off the trio of evil kings from the Mario universe, few could work better than King Boo. Making his first appearance in Luigi's Mansion, King Boo is a partner to Bowser and is one of the few enemies to focus their attention on Luigi over Mario. Outside of the Luigi's Mansion series, King Boo is rarely seen or even referenced in any Mario games. His appearance in Mario Golf: Super Rush could help to change that, potentially creating a rivalry that mirrors the one fans have seen between Mario and Bowser.
Plum and Charlie
A lot of people may not know who Plum or Charlie are, but the return of these two is long overdue. Plum and Charlie were starting characters alongside Mario and friends in the original Mario Golf on the Nintendo 64. Their skillsets made them great choices for beginner players, with Plum excelling at technique and Charlie's not being affected by wind.
Beyond a couple of small nods in titles like Super Smash Bros, Plum and Charlie (along with all of the other Mario Golf original characters) have been entirely absent. It's possible that these characters have been permanently replaced by Nintendo's customizable Miis, but that's not to say that Plum and Charlie can't find new roles as playable characters.
In Mario Golf: Super Rush, instead of being characters for beginners, Plum and Charlie could be for the hardcore experts. It would be a great way to reintroduce the characters to newcomers while paying respect to the Mario Golf series' origins, especially if Nintendo brings back the original six courses again as they did in Mario Golf: World Tour.
Nintendo has no shortage of options when it comes to characters, so there's no telling which the developer will actually end up going with. In a dream scenario, all of these characters and more will end up making it into Mario Golf: Super Rush. While there are bound to be some who don't make the cut however, fans will still have plenty to look forward to in the coming months.
Mario Golf: Super Rush will be available on the Nintendo Switch on June 25th, 2021.
