While SMG4's fanbase mostly find his cast of characters funny and charming, there are a few who are pretty divisive amongst fans. This includes almost the entirety of the Main Cast, so keep grains of salt handy.
open/close all folders
Main Cast
- Mario started becoming this by 2019. While many continue to find his insane, stupid and sociopathic behavior funny, some have started to grow tired of these very traits, especially after his development during the Waluigi arc and Meggy's status as his Morality Pet were both heavily downplayed. Modern episodes with Mario at his worst like "Mario Gets Into NFTs" and "DO NOT ENTER" are common points of contention, with debates breaking out over whether Mario is too unsympathetic and deserves what's coming to him or if it's Disproportionate Retribution. His wildly inconsistent personality, especially since 2022, has been brought up multiple times as well. Some have come to dislike how Mario is handled in a meta sense, feeling the series has become simultaneously dependent on him for viewership, yet seemingly wants to move away from him, with the clickbait thumbnails and video titles despite the minimal role he plays in such episodes being the most vocal criticism. Not helping matters either is despite him seemingly having learned to care about and appreciate his friends more during the finale of an arc, it's not uncommon for his personality to "reset" and go right back to his Jerkass tendencies a few episodes later, as if his character development never even happened.
- SMG4 started becoming divisive once memes became a core part of his personality. Some like 4 for being an Only Sane Man at times who can play off his crazier co-star very well. Others dislike him for being too hateful toward Mario at times and coming off as Unintentionally Unsympathetic in episodes like "Mario's Spicy Day" and "SMG4's Origins".
- Princess Peach became this as her flanderization kicked into high gear. She's either loved for being the perfect Only Sane Man to Mario's antics, kickstarting many good plots such as "Hotel Mario" and "Mario's Spageti Delivary", having... an interesting relationship with Bowser, and keeping the series faithful to the source material. Others dislike her for being too flat of a character and bitchy towards everyone since around 2020 and only showing up to scream while acting like a stereotypical Karen.
- Fishy Boopkins. Many love him for his Adorkable nature, being a nerdy loser, and for many of the heartwarming moments in the series being in his name. Others deride him as being too annoying, getting too much exposure and for being the progenitor of major characters utilizing full voice acting and the series adopting animesque elements through his flanderization into an otaku. That he had a major presence from 2017 to 2019 led to accusations of him being a Creator's Pet as well, something not helped by him getting a baby brother in 2020.
- Bob Bobowski became this once he was promoted to the main cast. Fans of Bob found his old antics and plans to get noticed hilarious and saw him as an excellent parody of people in the Machinima community that keep asking to be in people's videos, with some people even sympathizing with his desire for attention. Some don't even mind his more jerkish characterization, sometimes even justifying it. That being said, a lot of detractors find Bob incredibly annoying and unlikable, usually saying that he has very little character or purpose other than being a narcissist and that him becoming a Jerkass removed what little sympathy they originally had for him. Then there are others who think he's just overstayed his welcome and that the joke of Bob's character has gotten old. Nowadays, his reception has gone back to mostly positive, as many will admit that Bob's presence makes even lackluster episodes more enjoyable.
- Meggy Spletzer is the biggest example, often being compared to Jeffy in terms of fan reception, exposure, favoritism and how she has affected the series direction, for better or worse. Originally near-universally popular when she debuted in 2017, her fanbase slowly divided with time, especially once she was promoted to the main cast. Some liked her for being an adorable badass sharpshooter who was arguably Mario's Morality Pet (to the point of shipping them), as well as being a Nice Girl and Only Sane Woman among a cast of questionable intelligence, and found her competence refreshing compared to the other female characters before her. Others saw her as a spotlight stealer lacking any sort of humorous quirks or faults to fit in the series (with the "faults" she does have only making her more quirky), having very little personality aside from doing cool stuff and being nice, and having a notoriously rabid fanbase.
The Anime arc would mark the beginning of a drastic change in her character, starting with her reveal as a Broken Ace and her subsequent Character Development, culminating in her becoming a complete OC through her human transformation and voice, splitting her reception even further. Those that like "Human Meggy" praise her newfound character depth, development, and more relatable characterization. Others deride her Unintentional Uncanny Valley design (her 2023 redesign was mostly praised, though), her Character Arc continuing long after Arc Fatigue set in for it, her much more explicit favoritism, her more volatile personality (with her interactions with Mario being a common talking point), and her perceived Wangst behavior. Some in this camp, particularly former fans of her as an Inkling, feel her development removed a lot of what made Meggy so well-liked in the first place (her Odd Friendship with Mario as his Morality Pet, her spunky Nice Girl nature, her general badassery, nearly all of her ties to Splatoon outside of plot-relevant moments, etc.), claiming Meggy barely resembles the character that was once an Ensemble Dark Horse and that all her changes have marked a general downgrade in her character that she has yet to recover from.
For what it's worth, Luke and Kevin are aware
of her divisive reputation, but have chosen not to comment on it any further than that. Their main rigger Paul Stylianou (better known as MediExcaliur2012), however, DID speak at length about Meggy here in December 2022, doing a deep dive into why her base is broken. Many episodes he worked on starting in May 2022 explicitly try to invoke Character Rerailment. Fan reaction tends to be very positive whenever he does this. The writers, though, haven't quite gotten the memo, so Depending on the Writer comes into play – this is how Meggy can flip from her "classic" personality ("Mario Reacts to Nintendo Memes 11 ft. Meggy") in episodes he has wide latitude on, to her less popular "modern" one ("All I Want For Christmas Is For Mario To FREAKIN' BEHAVE") in episodes he doesn't, mere days apart. - Saiko Bichitaru was originally praised for her surprisingly emotional debut episode, but her expanded character depth, Character Development, and eventual promotion to the main cast led to fan opinion becoming divided on her. Many praised her for her competency as a female villain and enjoyed her subsequent development, badass action scenes, and budding friendship with the main cast. Others don't like her for generally being the most aggressive character in the main cast, her Cute, but Cacophonic voice clips coming off as annoying at times, her Unintentional Uncanny Valley design (which, while working for her debut episode, worked less when she pulled a Heel–Face Turn and became a major character – this design was rectified in mid-2022) and sharing the notorious Spotlight-Stealing Squad reputation of her fellow female main cast members.
- Tari was this right out of her debut episode. Some like her for being the nicest character in the cast alongside Luigi, having many unique traits (her introverted nature, cyborg gamer abilities, being a female who is subjected to constant slapstick), and having a somewhat stable relationship with Mario. Others feel her characterization as a gamer girl is too generic, hate that she becomes a Spotlight-Stealing Squad at certain points, feel her relevance largely diminished after the Waluigi Arc and claim her whole character is essentially just Product Placement for Meta Runner. Then there are others who liked her for her unique traits and lament that she was gradually reduced to being simply a Nice Girl (outside of whenever her arm is used as a Plot Device), feeling she became too generic – her dialogue consisting almost entirely of Voice Grunting (except in special episodes/arcs) doesn't help this perception.
- Axol. Supporters like him for his interesting design, eccentric personality, tragic backstory, and Inkweaver giving him something unique to add to the main cast. Detractors hate him for being yet another Original Character, being a key factor in anime becoming embraced on the channel for the people who don't like it, and generally becoming obsolete once the Anime Arc ran its course. It doesn't help that Axol became severely Out of Focus after the arc he debuted in ended, complete with SMG4 poking a bit of fun about it with Mario being apathetic towards Axol being banished to The Internet Graveyard in "Mario Gets [W o k e]". His hotly contested death split the base further; was it a fine swan song to a character whose sacrifice and legacy left a huge impact on SMG4, or was it a bad idea considering how badly underutilized he became after the Anime arc?
- Melony saw a meteoric rise in popularity unseen since Meggy (which is funny considering what she started out as), especially once she became human, and ultimately became the only Anti-Cast member to become a mainstay. However, just like with Meggy, she rapidly became divisive because of her perceived favoritism by the creators and the writing decisions made with her. By the end of the Genesis arc, she became the 2nd most divisive character after Meggy. Supporters love her childish personality, her dynamics with Axol and Bob, her creative design, her unique powers that tie into The Legend of Zelda lore and her development during the Cosmology Saga. Detractors claim she's nothing more than waifu bait, don't like how she's yet another animesque tomboyish OC in a main cast already full of them (something that is even lampshaded by Mario), dislike her perceived influence on the direction Axol's character was taken in (especially his death) and believe the crew are trying to recreate Meggy's popularity with her, making the exact same writing mistakes with her that turned Meggy from an Ensemble Dark Horse to the massive Base-Breaking Character she is today. A sub-debate exists in whether or not she was better as an ambiguously sentient watermelon, with some claiming becoming human made her a better, more fleshed-out character while others felt a lot of her jokes as a melon were clever and that her transformation ruined a perfectly good Companion Cube Joke Character a la Plank or Planty the Potted Plant.
Others
- SMG3 became one starting with his reintroduction in the YouTube arc and his gradual transition afterward into an Anti-Hero. Some find 3 just as good as ever, feeling his development is one of the better character arcs the series has had and that he's still an entertaining jerk with a capacity for good in a similar vein to Bob. Others feel that 3's change is a direct downgrade from the shameless Doofenshmirtz-esque villain he was in the classic era, with common issues brought up by his detractors being his whiny demeanor, "sexyman" traits and increasing resemblance to his voice actor, James Bailey. His change has caused some in this camp to refer to him as his stream name given in "Video Ends When Everyone Stops Watching", PoggieKing3.
- Desti. There are those who love her and like her for being a Foil to Meggy and enjoy the rivalry between them, but others hate her and think she doesn't belong in the series due to being a Disney Channel Original Movie-esque Alpha Bitch rather than an actual villain. Her Character Development and eventual death in the Anime Arc served to make her even more base breaking; some believe it saved her from being a forgettable Flat Character and made her eventual bond with Meggy much stronger while others claim her death lacked emotional impact due to the fact her character arc felt rushed due to having not appeared, let alone interacted with most of the main cast, prior to the arc.
- Francis. Many love this interpretation of the character for being Laughably Evil in a similar vein to Waluigi during his arc and proving himself to be a very creepy and effective threat. Others dislike him and feel that, like Desti, he became overrated in the fanbase thanks to his role in the Anime arc. Still others, mostly Super Paper Mario fans, hate how different SMG4's version of Francis is from his canon personality, where he was still a nerdy antagonist, but not a genocidal maniac. Understandably, they get upset if SMG4 fans comment on SPM videos.
- Hal Monitor, who debuted in "Mario School Club". He has some fans for his Implacable Man tendencies and some Big Damn Heroes moments, but others find him to be a much less interesting version of the SM64-styled police who used to fill the role of stopping Mario and the others from doing illegal activities. There are also others that don't mind him replacing the SM64-styled police, but find that the other joke of his character — a character with a Synthetic Voice Actor much like Bob, Chris, and Swagmaster — was played out from his debut episode and he's not as unique as those characters are.
- Whimpu, once an Ensemble Dark Horse in his debut, became this as his personality was fleshed out. Supporters like him for his nerdy nature and simplistic Mother-esque design compared to Saiko's 2018 design. Detractors feel that he is nothing more than a bland simp, which makes him unfunny and cringey, and that his love for weeb stuff makes him almost like a second Boopkins. A third group confesses he was good in his debut when his "wimp" qualities were more prevalent and lament that he was quickly solidified into a simp character instead.
- The Hobos, introduced in "The Pursuit of Happiness". Some liked them for their weird designs and wacky personalities fitting the series unlike the other modern OCs. Others felt they were too one-note, annoying and speculated that because they were entirely original in their designs, they would return and become prominent. Then their true identities were revealed, SMG1 and SMG2, making them some of the most important characters in the entire series. Some fans, even some that were initially against them, thought they had now improved from their debut episode, having gained depth and lore ties, while others, mostly those who were already sick of them, weren't happy with them being given such a high level of importance within the series, feeling they didn't deserve it.
- Zero. Many will call him one of the best antagonists the series has ever had for playing a big role in shaping the series history, managing to stay consistent as a threat and having nightmarishly awesome designs. Others feel his motivations are too generic and barebones, deem him too dark of a character for SMG4 and hate him for being the main crux behind Axol getting killed off. His return from seeming death and reveal as Niles during the Revelations arc made him even more so. Those that already liked him were excited he returned and felt his plan to posses Melony going off without a hitch only further cemented his place as SMG4's best villain. Those that hated him claimed his survival made Axol's already divisive death not only hypocritical meta-wise, but completely senseless to boot. A third, smaller group feel that Niles had potential as his own character, or even one simply related to Zero, claiming him being Zero wasted a potentially interesting character archetype for Melony to create a dynamic with after having already lost her prior one with Axol; a dick, but one that wasn't entirely malicious. Getting Killed Off for Real only cemented him as this, with some believing he became another victim of SMG4 wasting interesting characters through killing them off while others felt it was for the best as he had nothing more to offer and left a good enough legacy as is.
- Karen. Supporters like her for her miserable personality - which makes her relatable to some, her dynamics with characters like Swag, and for her badass action sequences. Detractors hate her for her negative interactions with some characters like Mario and hate how she continues the trend of new female original characters being badass Action Girls.
- With the fan-assisted creation of his concept art during the 5 million stream alone, Kaizo Koorumaniru was already an incredibly divisive character from the onset, and his long-awaited debut in "DO NOT ENTER" only reignited the divide on him. Some fans like him for his lore ties and dynamic with Saiko, interesting design and find his shameless edgelord personality funny. Others deride him as being far removed from SMG4, both in design and personality, and hate that he continues the trend of new modern additions being anime-inspired humanoids. The fact that a mere couple thousand fans were the ones to help design him during the 5 million stream at a select time through polls didn't make him any less controversial, as much of the blame and praise for the end result went toward them.
- Mr. Puzzle is seen as either a bright and mesmerizingly disturbing arc villain who lives up to his predecessors with twisted re-imaginings of classic TV shows and movies, or they are an uninspired retread of previous villains with confusingly shallow motivations for wanting to torture the main cast, although the latter is lessened a bit when "PUZZLEVISION: THE MOVIE" delves into his rather unsettling backstory and specifies him as a Reality Warper who is determined to make a perfect TV series and get 5-stars because doing so will give him complete and utter control of the real world too, as well as choosing the SMG4 crew specifically because he views their web series as being so terrible that being able to turn it into a 5-star series will undoubtedly prove his greatness.
