Several weeks after Nintendo revealed Charles Martinet will no longer voice Mario, the company has confirmed the identity of the actor who’ll play its most famous character for the foreseeable future. Kevin Afghani is the new voice of Mario Mario and Luigi Mario in Nintendo’s games.
“Incredibly proud to have voiced Mario and Luigi in Super Mario Bros. Wonder,” Afghani, who was perhaps best known until now as the voice of Arnold in Genshin Impact, wrote on X. “Thanks to Nintendo for inviting me into the Flower Kingdom!” Nintendo confirmed to Polygon that Afghani is voicing the characters and will have the honor of being the first actor to portray Elephant Mario.
Incredibly proud to have voiced Mario and Luigi in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Thanks to Nintendo for inviting me into the Flower Kingdom!
— Kevin Afghani (@KevinAfghani) October 13, 2023
Fans noticed something different with Mario’s voice when the first trailer for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which arrives on October 20, emerged over the summer. They noticed a difference in Wario’s voice in a WarioWare: Move It! clip too. It’s not yet clear who’s playing Mario’s arch-rival in that game.
Martinet, who is 67, was the man behind Mario’s “wahoo!” and “here we go!” exclamations for well over two decades in games and since 1991 at trade shows. He’s played several other characters in the Mario-verse during that time, including Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Luigi and Baby Mario.
But whether it was Martinet’s decision or Nintendo’s, it was evidently time for a change. Martinet will continue to work with Nintendo as a “Mario Ambassador,” which will see him “continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario.”
