Top 10 Playable Characters in Mario Tennis Aces

This list is all about showcasing the roster of characters you can pick to hit the courts in this fast-paced tennis game. From classic fan favorites to some unexpected faces, Mario Tennis Aces features a mix of familiar heroes, quirky sidekicks, and even a few surprise additions that spice up the gameplay.

Each character brings their own unique style and abilities, making it fun to experiment and figure out who fits your playstyle best. Maybe you're all about speed, or perhaps you prefer a character with raw power or tricky shots to keep your opponents guessing. Whatever your preference, the game offers a wide variety of options to keep every match fresh and exciting.

The Top Ten

Chain Chomp

Chain Chomps, known as Wanwan in Japan, are metal, barking ball-and-chain-like creatures that are restrained by chains and are a main enemy in the Mario franchise. They first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3 and have since become a recurring enemy in various Mario games. Their design was inspired by... read more

Alright, now Chain Chomp was an amazingly obscure choice for a character in Mario Tennis Aces. Like, literally, who even thought of playing as a Chain Chomp in a tennis game? Well, not me. The fact that he managed to get into the game is enough for me to rank him super high. In fact, he was the first character I decided to play as in the game.
This was actually one of the characters available when the game was first released. It's such an original choice, and I like how he holds the tennis racket in his mouth. He's definitely a powerful guy. He's a bit slow in matches, but the fact that he's here is enough proof that he deserves to be here.

I'd rather have King Boo, to be honest. Chain Chomp is cool, but how can he hold things? He doesn't have arms!
Petey Piranha

Petey Piranha is a large mutant version of the Piranha Plant in the Super Mario franchise. He first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine and has since become a recurring boss character in the series. Petey has also featured in various sports and spin-off games.

Petey Piranha being in this game as a playable character is certainly an interesting choice. This makes Mario Tennis Aces most likely the only game in which there is a character who serves both as a playable character and as a boss battle. It's not a big problem, though, as you can only play as Mario in the story mode. Nevertheless, I just love that you can play as this character.
It's such an obscure and interesting choice.
Boom Boom

We are all tired of seeing him appear in every Mario game. In almost every single main game, we have Boom Boom taking on a role as one of the easiest and most basic bosses ever. He's been in Super Mario Bros. 3, New Super Mario Bros. U/Luigi U, Super Mario 3D Land, and Super Mario 3D World. We've encountered this lazy excuse around 40 times in total, and it's sad how Nintendo doesn't come up with original bosses.
However, this is just as a boss battle in main games. This list is about the best playable characters in Mario Tennis Aces, and Boom Boom is no "lazy unoriginal filler" as a playable character in spin-offs. I am really glad to see him here, as we don't often get him in spin-offs. In the story mode, there was a match near the end of the game with him, and he was actually pretty tough as well. So he is deserving of being on here.
Fire Piranha Plant

The Piranha Plant, known as the Pakkun Flower in Japan, is a recurring enemy species in the Mario franchise. It usually appears as a green stalk topped with a red or green globe that is white-spotted and features a mouth lined with sharp teeth. The Piranha Plant has been featured in numerous Mario games... read more

A Fire Piranha Plant? Yes, they actually added it. Adding a Piranha Plant alone is something very unlikely, but not too unlikely, considering one was added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. However, they went further and picked a variety of a Piranha Plant: the Fire Piranha Plant! That is one of the most obscure choices I've ever thought of. It's the most obscure choice in the game.
However, because I prefer other characters in general, this one is just in fourth place.
Pauline

Pauline is a fictional character who first appeared in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. She was originally introduced as the damsel in distress who must be rescued by Mario from the giant ape. Pauline has since reappeared in several Nintendo titles, including Super Mario Odyssey, where she serves as... read more

Pauline is a more obscure character in the Mario universe, but not as unexpected a choice for Mario Tennis Aces, especially considering her major role in Super Mario Odyssey. Nevertheless, her sudden appearance in Nintendo Switch games is excellent. She was, after all, the original damsel in distress before Peach took over the role back in the NES days. Since then, she has only appeared in Mario vs. Donkey Kong games.
I especially like how her special shot includes parts of the song "Jump Up! Superstar," which is basically her song. She is deserving of being here.
Koopa Troopa

Koopa Troopas, or simply Koopas, known in Japan as Nokonoko, are a fictional race of turtle-like creatures from the Mario series and its sister Yoshi series. They most often appear as common ground enemies. Over time, Koopa Troopas have become one of the most recognizable and recurring enemy types in... read more

Overall, personally, I've always felt like Birdo and Koopa Troopa are my default characters when playing spin-offs. They have all-around decent stats, and their designs don't get in the way when playing. They just sort of get me. It's strange how Koopa Troopas, like Goombas, are some of the most common enemies in Mario games, yet they make rare appearances as playable characters in Mario spin-offs. This is even rarer with Goombas.
This gives them a nice yet obscure feel, which is cool.
Blooper

Bloopers, often referred to as Bloobers until the release of Paper Mario, are squid-like creatures found in the ocean. The name Blooper had been used before that game, but the alternate term was still common.
These characters made their first appearance in Super Mario Bros. and have been recurring... read more

Blooper is one of those characters that may occasionally appear in spin-offs, but he's still one of the most obscure characters in Mario spin-off games. So, him being in the roster for Mario Tennis Aces is certainly a nice addition. I've always liked to play as Blooper in Mario Party 8, and he's certainly decent with stats in this game as well.
He's my fifth favorite personally.
Birdo

Birdo is a dinosaur-like character from the Mario franchise who is known for her ambiguous gender identity. In the North American manual for Super Mario Bros. 2, Birdo is described as a male who believes he is female and prefers to be called Birdetta. In later appearances, this backstory was largely... read more

You all probably know by now that Birdo is my favorite Mario character of all time, so her being on this list shouldn't come as a surprise. She's one of the most interesting Mario characters, and her design with pink and red combined is just so nice. Unfortunately, she hasn't made many appearances in Mario games recently. She was absent from Mario Kart 8/Deluxe, modern Mario Party games (excluding 9), and Mario Kart 7.
Luckily, she made appearances in Mario Sports Superstars and this game.
Spike

Spike is certainly an interesting choice that has appeared more frequently in spin-offs since the Wii U as a playable character. It's funny because he was a boss battle in Mario Party 9. He's a fan favorite in my family that my siblings usually play as (either him or Shy Guy). Originally, when I got Mario Party 10, I was mind-blown that he was even in the game.
Recently, I've become less interested in him, but he's still great for this list.
Yoshi

Yoshi, once romanized as Yossy, is a fictional anthropomorphic dinosaur featured in video games published by Nintendo. He often appears as a sidekick and helper to Mario, playing key roles in many of Nintendo's most popular titles. Yoshi is especially well known for his appearances in the Yoshi's Island... read more

The Newcomers

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Luma
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Shy Guy

Shy Guys are recurring enemies in the Mario and Yoshi video game series. They are known for wearing masks, which they use to hide their faces due to their shyness. These characters have appeared in various games, often acting in different roles such as enemies, racers, and sports players.

The Contenders

Kamek

Kamek is a recurring enemy character in the Mario Bros. franchise. He frequently appears in titles such as the New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. series, often casting spells to hinder the player's progress. He is a Magikoopa who typically serves as an assistant to Bowser.... read more

Kamek, or Magikoopa, is one of those semi-obscure choices in Mario games. He appears frequently, but at the same time, it's a bit rare to see him as a playable character. Mario Party 9, Mario Golf: World Tour, Mario Superstar Baseball, and Mario Super Sluggers are examples where Kamek/Magikoopa is available. These are really the only games, excluding Mario Tennis Aces, where he is featured.
He was one of the last characters to have been added to Mario Tennis Aces, as recently as April 2019. He deserves to be here and is a great character.
Rosalina

Rosalina, known as Rosetta in Japan, is a major character in the Mario franchise created by Nintendo. She first appeared in the 2007 game Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii and later returned in its sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, in 2010. Since then, she has been featured in many main-series Mario... read more
Mario

Mario, originally named Jumpman, is the main character of the Super Mario Bros. franchise and was created by Nintendo of Japan's game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Mario appears in nearly every game in the series, including many spin-off titles, with a few exceptions such as New Super Luigi U, the Luigi's... read more
Luigi

Luigi is a major character in video games and related media produced by Nintendo. He was originally introduced as a green-colored palette swap of Mario and is portrayed as Mario's younger, taller fraternal twin brother.
Created by legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi appears in many... read more
Wario

Wario is a character in Nintendo's Mario series who was originally designed as an antagonist to Mario. His motives are driven by greed, and he will often side with whoever offers him the greatest reward. Although typically portrayed as selfish and mischievous, Wario has become a central figure in his... read more
Waluigi

Waluigi is a tall, self-centered, and rough-around-the-edges character who is often portrayed as Luigi's rival. He frequently causes chaos in various Mario spinoff games, usually paired with Wario. While he acts antagonistically, Waluigi is not truly evil and often shows loyalty and affection, especially... read more
Peach

Princess Peach is a major character in the Mario Bros. franchise. She is the lead female character in the series. She is usually the character who needs to be rescued in most Mario games, but she has also appeared as a playable character in main-series Mario games, including Super Mario 3D World, Super... read more
Daisy

Princess Daisy is a fictional character in the Mario series of video games, where she is the princess of the fictional region of Sarasaland.
Daisy debuted in Super Mario Land in 1989. After a few other appearances, she disappeared for nine years until she was brought back in Mario Tennis (2000).... read more
Toad

Toad, known in Japan as Kinopio, is a major character in the Mario Bros. franchise. He assists Princess Peach in the Mushroom Kingdom and first appeared in Super Mario Bros. (1985). Toad is a recurring character in many Mario games, including New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 3D World, Captain Toad... read more
Toadette

Toadette is a character in the Mario series. She is a female Toad who first appeared in the Nintendo GameCube game Mario Kart: Double Dash!! in 2003. Since then, she has appeared in multiple Mario titles, often as a playable character.
Bowser

Bowser is the main antagonist of the Mario Bros. franchise. From kidnapping Princess Peach to disrupting games in the Mario Party spinoff series, this king of the Koopas has become a recurring enemy in the series. He first appeared in the 1985 video game Super Mario Bros., in which he kidnapped Princess... read more
Boo
Koopa Paratroopa
Dry Bones
Dry Bowser

Dry Bowser is the skeletal version of Bowser, the main antagonist of the Mario franchise. He first appeared in New Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo DS, after Bowser was dropped into lava and re-emerged as a skeleton.
Since then, Dry Bowser has appeared in titles like Super Mario 3D Land, the... read more