Super Mario Wonder Tier List - Best Characters & Builds

Tier List Overview

Super Mario Bros. Wonder introduces a massive shakeup to the classic 2D platforming formula, not just through its wild Wonder Effects, but by giving the playable cast distinct mechanical differences for the first time in a mainline 2D Mario game. Because there are no traditional "weapons" or deep RPG-style "builds" to customize, the most relevant way to rank the game's mechanics is by evaluating the Characters. Choosing the right character drastically alters your platforming experience, especially in the notoriously difficult Special World levels and when chasing the hidden Wonder Seeds. This tier list ranks all playable characters based on their hitbox size, jump arc, unique abilities, and overall effectiveness in completing the game's toughest content.

When evaluating these characters, the primary metrics are survivability and maneuverability. A smaller hitbox means narrowly avoiding homing Amps and massive enemy hitboxes, while a higher jump arc provides better vertical mobility for reaching precarious platforms. Meanwhile, abilities like wall-jumping or floating open up entirely different routing strategies. Whether you are a casual player looking to enjoy the sights or a hardcore completionist aiming for 100%, this list will guide you to the perfect pixelated avatar.

S Tier

The S Tier is reserved for characters that fundamentally break the game's difficulty curve in your favor. These picks offer the best combination of safety, mobility, and utility, making them the definitive choices for anyone looking to conquer the Special World without tearing their hair out.

• Daisy
• Luigi
• Toad

Daisy

Daisy is arguably the single best character in the entire game, functioning as a superior version of both Luigi and Peach. Her defining trait is her double jump, which activates similarly to Luigi’s but with a much more forgiving, neutral trajectory. Where Luigi’s scuttle can pull you off platforms or into enemies, Daisy’s double jump offers pure, controllable verticality. This makes her incredibly safe for precision platforming. Furthermore, her hitbox is remarkably compact. When combined with the Dolphin Kick ability (acquired from the Elephant Fruit), Daisy becomes an untouchable force of nature, bypassing some of the game's most agonizing platforming sequences with ease.

Luigi

Luigi has been the secret meta for speedrunners and hardcore Mario fans for decades, and his dominance continues in Wonder. His defining trait is his flutter jump—if you hold the jump button while airborne, Luigi kicks his legs in the air, slowing his descent and granting him massive horizontal and vertical distance. While it requires a bit of practice to master without accidentally drifting into hazards, a skilled Luigi player can clear gaps that no other character can reach without a power-up. His taller, thinner hitbox is a double-edged sword, but when paired with his unparalleled jump physics, Luigi easily secures his S Tier placement.

Toad

If you prefer grounded movement over aerial acrobatics, Toad is your absolute best bet. Toad is blisteringly fast, reaching top running speed significantly quicker than the Mario brothers. More importantly, he is incredibly tiny. His minuscule hitbox allows him to walk directly under enemy projectiles that would hit any other character, and he can safely navigate tight corridors packed with Amps and Koopas. The only reason he isn't rank 1 is that his incredibly low jump height means he strictly relies on power-ups or precise running jumps to clear tall obstacles. If you have the raw reflexes to manage his lack of verticality, Toad will carry you through the game's most claustrophobic challenges.

A Tier

A Tier characters are excellent, well-rounded picks that have no massive flaws. They might lack the extreme, game-breaking niche of an S Tier character, but they are incredibly reliable and will serve any player perfectly well from World 1 to the Special World.

• Mario
• Peach
• Yoshi

Mario

Mario is the quintessential baseline. He is the gold standard by which all other characters are measured, offering perfectly balanced jump height, run speed, and a standard hitbox. In Wonder, Mario gains access to a highly useful float ability: if you hold the jump button at the apex of your leap, he descends incredibly slowly. While it doesn't gain horizontal distance like Luigi or Daisy, this slow descent gives you ample time to react to incoming hazards and line up precise landings. You can never go wrong picking Mario, though he lacks the extreme high-mobility or extreme low-profile perks of the S Tier.

Peach

Peach shares Daisy’s incredibly small hitbox but trades the double jump for a traditional float. By holding the jump button, Peach can glide across massive gaps. However, her float activates immediately upon reaching the peak of her jump, meaning if you accidentally tap the button too long during a standard jump, you will float when you meant to drop. This makes her slightly less safe for pure, twitch-reaction platforming compared to Daisy. Still, her float is phenomenal for safely crossing over hazards, and her small frame keeps her out of harm's way.

Yoshi

Yoshi is a wildly unique addition to the roster. His primary advantage is absolute immunity to environmental hazards—spikes, lava, and poison do not damage him. Furthermore, he can eat enemies mid-air to gain a slight vertical boost, essentially giving him an infinite chain of micro-jumps if enemies are present. The reason he sits in A Tier rather than S Tier is twofold: his hitbox is surprisingly large and bulky, making him a target in crowded enemy gauntlets, and losing Yoshi upon taking damage counts as losing a life in single-player mode, which can be brutally punishing in late-game levels.

B Tier

B Tier characters are decent options that generally work fine for casual playthroughs but have distinct mechanical drawbacks that make them less viable for high-level play or the punishing Special World stages. They require the player to overcompensate for their flaws.

• Toadette
• Nabbit

Toadette

Toadette features the exact same movement speed and tiny hitbox as Toad, but she is penalized heavily in the jumping department. She has a noticeably lower jump arc than Toad, making her the worst character in the game for vertical platforming. Because Wonder heavily features vertical level design—scaling giant vines, bouncing off high springs, and navigating upward-scrolling challenges—Toadette’s lack of jump height becomes a massive, persistent annoyance. You will frequently find yourself forced to precisely time a running jump just to clear a pipe that Mario or Daisy could clear effortlessly from a standstill.

Nabbit

Nabbit is the ultimate paradox. On paper, he is invincible to all enemies and most hazards, making him the ultimate cheat code. In reality, he is ranked in B Tier because of how he fundamentally breaks the game's core loop. Nabbit cannot pick up power-ups or transform. This means no Elephant Fruit to break blocks, no Fire Flowers to defeat distant enemies, no Drill Mushrooms to bypass underground walls, and most importantly, no Super Stars to break through Wonder Flower barriers. Because Wonder’s level design often requires specific power-ups to progress or find hidden Wonder Seeds, playing as Nabbit actively locks you out of discovering the game's best secrets. He is great for absolute beginners trying to reach the credits, but terrible for anyone actually wanting to play the game as intended.

C Tier

C Tier picks are those that are actively outclassed by other characters in nearly every conceivable metric. They possess glaring flaws that make playing through the game an unnecessary uphill battle. Unless you are imposing a severe self-handicap on yourself, there is very little reason to pick these characters.

• Waluigi
• Wario

Waluigi

Waluigi suffers from the exact same problem that has plagued him in every spin-off he appears in: he is incredibly tall and incredibly clumsy. While he has a respectable running speed, his jump is sluggish and low, and his hitbox is a massive vertical pillar. In a game densely packed with tight corridors, low ceilings, and horizontally flying projectiles, Waluigi simply cannot fit. You will find yourself taking damage from projectiles that would fly harmlessly over the heads of Daisy or Mario. He offers no unique mobility perks to compensate for this massive target on his back.

Wario

Wario is a lesson in over-commitment. He is the heaviest character in the game, featuring a fast ground speed that makes him feel like a freight train. However, once Wario commits to a jump, he is going exactly where the physics engine throws him. He has a terrible air-control-to-weight ratio, making mid-air adjustments incredibly sluggish. If you misjudge a gap or accidentally over-shoot a small platform, Wario lacks the float, flutter, or double-jump necessary to correct the mistake. In a game where pixel-perfect mid-air corrections are the difference between life and death, Wario’s lack of agility makes him a liability.

How to Use This Tier List

While this tier list is categorized by letters, it is important to remember that "Super Mario Bros. Wonder" is not a competitive fighting game or a live-service shooter with constantly shifting win-rates. There are no patches that will nerf Luigi’s flutter jump or buff Wario’s air speed. The meta is entirely static, meaning your personal playstyle should ultimately dictate your choice above all else.

If your primary goal is simply to experience the glorious Wonder Effects, laugh at the game's fantastic animations, and enjoy the music, you should completely ignore the lower tiers. Pick whoever makes you smile. If you want to play as Wario because you love his grunts, play as Wario. The standard Worlds 1 through 6 are tuned to be perfectly beatable with any character, provided you have basic platforming competency.

However, if you are staring down the barrel of the Special World—levels like "The Final-Final Gauntlet" or the grueling badge challenges—you should lean heavily into the S and A Tiers. In those late-game stages, the game stops pulling its punches. You will encounter screens filled with homing Amps, spikes, and instant-kill pits where a single pixel of your hitbox determines your fate. In that specific context, Daisy’s double jump or Toad’s microscopic hitbox transition from "fun quirks" to "mandatory survival tools."

Furthermore, consider how you interact with the game's badges. If you prefer to equip the Parachute Badge for slow, methodical descents, a character with a naturally low jump like Toadette becomes completely unplayable. Conversely, if you use the Vault Badge, Toad’s high ground speed allows you to bounce off enemies at breakneck speeds, covering distances that other characters can only dream of. Mix and match your character with your favorite badge to find a synergy that feels uniquely yours. At the end of the day, the best character is the one that keeps you coming back to the Flower Kingdom for just one more try.