Summary
TheNESis one of the most iconic video game consoles in the world. It changed Nintendo from a company that made all sorts of novelties to a by-word for video games as a whole. That’s not to mention it introduced a whole host of characters that would become pop culture icons, all thanks to their origins in theNintendo Entertainment System.
However, not all of them originated on Nintendo’s gray toaster. The Mario Bros. came from the arcades, as did Little Mac fromPunch-Out. The arcade version ofNinja Gaidenalso introduced Ryu Hayabusa before the better NES game. But there are still plenty of others that made their first splash on Nintendo’s first console.
Finding iconic figures from the NESFinal Fantasygames is tricky. Chocobos and Moogles debuted inFF2&3, but they didn’t make it westward until years later, with most people seeing them in the SNES games. The villain, Garland, has a striking look and some classic lines (“I, Garland, will knock you all down!").
But he isn’t usually the first thing people think of when they think ofFF1. That would beThe Warriors of Lightthemselves, which is ironic as they have less narrative than Garland. They’re proxies for the player and their friends. But their cute, blocky looks became emblems of the series itself, from webcomics like8-Bit Theaterto homages likeFF9’s Vivi being based on the Black Mage.
After making classic games forthe ZX Spectrum in the UK, the Stamper Brothers saw the writing on the wall for microcomputers. The NES didn’t catch on that well in Europe, but the advantages of consoles and cartridges meant they’d succeed in the long run. So, they set up Rare and started making games for Nintendo’s machines.
The company’s output was a mix of cult classics likeSnake, Rattle & Roll,and shovelware like their LJN games. Before they breathed new life into Donkey Kong on the NES, they madeBattletoads, aNinja Turtles-inspired beat ‘em up that was high on charm and difficulty. While it didn’t invent the term, its bosses, hazards, and speeder sections defined “Nintendo hard” back in the day.
Metroid’sSamus Aranset herself apart from other heroes. Her game wasn’t as cartoony as her other Nintendo counterparts, nor as straightforward. She had to go in every direction to find new weapons to access new areas, each containing new alien threats she’d have to zap or dodge to progress. Aside from her game being one of the first search-action games (or ‘Metroidvania’), she was unique as a playable female lead.
Inspired by Ripley from theAlienmovies, Nintendo R&D1 didn’t see a reason why women couldn’t be as tough in video games. But at the time, players wouldn’t know she was a woman. They’d assume she was another spaceman until she revealed her true self when they beat the game fast enough (or used the Justin Bailey password).
TheCastlevaniaseries has gonethrough many Belmonts, from Trevor inCastlevania 3: Dracula’s Curseto Julius inAria of Sorrow. But the first one to swing a whip at Dracula wasSimon Belmontin the firstCastlevania. While his ancestors and descendants have taken the spotlight over the past few years, Simon has maintained his position as THE classic Belmont.
He’d introduce the series to the arcades inHaunted Castle, and the Sharp X36000 and PS1 viaCastlevania Chronicles. Then he’d represent the series in ensemble games likeKonami Wai Wai World,DreamMix TV World Fighters, andSuper Smash Bros Ultimate. Richter may look cooler, and Alucard more stylish, but Simon’s Conan-inspired design fits the 8-bit gothic horror look like a glove.
Another sign of Simon’s popularity was his appearance inCaptain N: The Game Master. It wasn’t an accurate depiction at all, but it showedCastlevaniawas considered synonymous with the NES. But he wasn’t the biggest hitter on the NES to make their way into that cartoon. That would go to a little green man who should’ve been a Blue Bomber.
Mega Manwas Capcom’s mascot during the NES years, appearing in 6 mainline games during its lifetime. He made his tricky debut inMega Man 1, then his iconic return inMega Man 2, and his underrated run inMega Man 3. On top of his challenging but fun combo of shooting, jumping, and copying the bosses' abilities, his games had a dramatic, anime flair that was more dynamic than his rivals.
Neither of the Mario Brothers, Mario or Luigi, began their runs on the NES, but many of their future friends and foes would start off on the machine. Like Toad, the Mushroom Kingdom, and their rulerPrincess Peach. Her kidnapping inSuper Mario Bros.would be the first of many abductions that would set up some of the greatest games Nintendo would ever make, from the NES right up to the Switch.
Yet, despite being Nintendo’s archetypical damsel in distress, Princess Peach could also give as good as she got,from her playable appearancesinSuper Mario Bros. 2up toSuper Mario Bros. Wonderto her own games likeSuper Princess Peachand the upcomingPrincess Peach: Showtime!She’s even shown some attitude viaSuper Mario RPG, thePaper Mariogames, and the Illumination movie. There’s more to Princess Peach than meets the eye, and there are many reasons why she’s so iconic.
4Bowser
Without a villain,Super Mario Bros.would’ve been about two plumbers having a pleasant teatime with Princess Peach.Bowser, aka King Koopa, was originally designed as a gray, vaguely bovine turtle monster on the Famicom cartridge. But he’d soon shift into his iconic dragon-like design, as he’d continue his attempts to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and make Peach his bride.
He was big and intimidating, but not the sharpest tool in the shed (he practically beats himself inSuper Mario Bros 3). But he didn’t need to be an intellectual to run the player out of their lives. He just needed his flames and his heft. Bowser hasn’t always been Mario’s antagonist and has even aided the plumber in some games. Yet it’s hard to imagine the brothers fighting anyone else in their games' final stages, and Bowser remains the grand nemesis to Mario, and someone who will always want Peach as his bride.
Nowadays,Ganon’s more humanoid bruiser form Ganondorf has taken center stage inThe Legend of Zeldagames. But when he’d invoke the Triforce of Power, his final form would often call back his origins as an evil porcine-like wizard from the original game. He still had the Triforce of Power in the first NESThe Legend of Zelda, but he needed the Triforce of Wisdom to take over Hyrule.
That might be why he ended up being one of the game’s hardest bosses, as he’d turn invisible and teleport around the field before blasting fireballs at Link. It took multiple slashes and a silver arrow to reduce him to ash. But later games likeZelda 2: The Adventures of LinkandLink’s Awakeningwould threaten players with Ganon’s return.
2Zelda
Technically, the firstThe Legend of Zeldadebuted on the Famicom Disk System, a console add-on that used Nintendo’s version of floppy disks for players to save their game data.MetroidandCastlevaniaalso appeared on the system first. However,the FDS was Japan-only, and notoriously faulty. So, those games eventually got a cartridge releases that used batteries to enable saving.
From there they’d reach the West and introduce them to Samus, Simon, Ganon, and the firstPrincess Zelda. She’s taken on different forms over the years, from more typical damsels in distress, to much more involved figures who’d fight alongside Link. In the originalThe Legend of Zelda,Zelda is somewhere in-between, as she stops Ganon from getting the Triforce of Wisdom by splitting it into 8 pieces and scattering them across the land. In retaliation, Ganon traps her in a sleeping spell.
1Link
Thus, it’s up to a plucky elven hero in a green tunic to find those scattered Triforce pieces, kill Ganon, and free both the Princess and Hyrule from his clutches. The player can name him anything they like, but canonically he’d be calledLinkto represent the ‘link’ between the player and the game world.
Link would alsohave multiple incarnations, from the more serious likes ofTwilight Princessto the cute and cartoony look inThe Wind Waker. Nonetheless, despite the series being named after Zelda, Link would represent the games across the decades, with his epic adventures offering players something more dramatic than Mario’s fun frolics, providing players with a grand fantasy that continues to evolve with modern technology, as recent asTears of the Kingdom.
