Toad

The Toad of the hour.
Toad
Species	Toad
Affiliation	Mushroom Kingdom
Voiced by	Kelsey Hutchinson Jen Taylor
Debut	Super Mario Bros. 2

Toad is a mushroom retainer that serves Princess Peach. Though he has played the heroic role a few times, he usually plays a support role in helping Mario, Luigi, and the Princess.

The real Toad

Early in Mario gaming, there was a character named Toad. It was not terribly difficult to spot him, until the release of Paper Mario, a game that called the entire species Toads (as opposed to Mushroom Retainers as in the past). This had the drastic effect of calling the validity of the individual Toad into question, as a red-spotted Toad was rather common in the games.

Not only did that de-characterize him drastically but brought into question which of his appearances actually counted. Most people limit his first appearance to Super Mario Bros. 2 in which he is a playable, main character - even if it is commonly believed that he was one of the retainers in Super Mario Bros. He is, however, commonly believed to be the Toad featured in the various Sports games.

Background

In his first adventure in Sub-Con, in Super Mario Bros. 2, he proves his worth by showing off the strength of his people. His jumping is not quite as good as Mario's, but his strength is nothing to scoff at. Through his adventures he faces his fear of cobrats, a blast right out of his very dreams.

Afterwards, his appearances became infrequent. He received a starring role in Wario's Woods, where he saves the Dark Woods from Wario. His own adventures were then limited to kart races and tennis matches. He did, however, prove his worth in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars by providing Mario with invaluable advice. In fact, he even traversed through Smithy's Factory to provide Mario and his friends with a variety of items. In Super Mario 64 he and other toads provide Mario and his friends with even more advice.

He also appears in Luigi's Mansion, having apparently followed Mario into the mansion. He helps Luigi by telling him things and saving the game. The instruction manual of Super Mario Sunshine describes the red-capped toad as being Toad (despite his vest being the wrong color). He is described simply as 'Peach's Attendant' and no more. A recently introduced character, Toadette, has become his 'partner' character. Though it seems reasonable to assume that there is something between the two, but as usual with the series, there is no canon evidence for anything.

In Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, Toad discovers that someone has broken into Truffle Towers and stolen the Music Keys, and recruits Mario to help get them back. Despite the danger, Toad faithfully stays by Mario's side and ferries him around the kingdom in the SS Brass. He plays a brief role in the beginning of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga where he is temporarily playable as he tracks down Mario in his house.

Sports

Toad is playable in a variety of sports games, even if his appearances as a character in the other Mario games are diminishing.

• Kart Racing: Toad is playable in all games. He appears in Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (where he was partnered with Toadette), Mario Kart Arcade GP, Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, and Mario Kart Wii.
• Tennis: Toad is playable in Mario's Tennis and Mario Tennis 64.
• Basketball: Toad is playable in Itadaki Street DS.

In the Mario Party games, Toad initially appeared as the host in Mario Party, Mario Party 2 and Mario Party 4. He (or another toad) also ran shops in various games. Staring in Mario Party 5, Toad was incorporated as a playable character. Toad was later playable in Mario Party 6, Mario Party 7 and Mario Party 8, Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party, Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party 2, and Mario Party DS. He also appears as a host again in Mario Party Advance.

Other Roles

Video Games

• Toad is featured as one of the moves performed by Peach in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. When she pulls him out, he will reflect attacks back and protect Peach from danger. Another Toad appears in the background of the first Adventure stage in Melee at the end of the level.

Other Media

• In the movie 'Super Mario Bros.', Toad was a disgruntled singer who made songs about Koopa's oppression. For this, he was de-evolved into a goomba. He was played by Mojo Nixon.

Trivia

• His japanese name is 'Kinopio', which is the same for other Toads. However in some fan circles, it has become common to refer to him as Kinopio T. (a naming convention from the Paper Mario games).