10 Best TV Shows Based On Nintendo Games, Ranked – TVLine

The box office results are in, and it seems like Illumination has captured lightning in a bottle for a second time with “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.” It’s a well-earned victory for Nintendo, which long resisted adapting its IP for film and TV before “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” arrived in 2023. With television adaptations of video games like “Fallout” and “The Last of Us” having seen huge success, Nintendo has now become open to bringing its biggest franchises to the big screen.

Nintendo hasn’t always had the best luck on screen — most notably with the 1993 “Super Mario Bros.” movie. However, since Nintendo’s gaming empire exploded in the mid-80s, there have also been several television adaptations of their games that have ranged from bizarre misfires to genuinely great shows.

Many of these series are as iconic as the video games they’re based on, while others feel so vastly different from the series’ tone and look that fans prefer to forget they ever existed. From worst to best, let’s take a look at some of these Nintendo-inspired video game series and remember which ones were the good, the bad, or most certainly, the ugly. 

Though it could be argued that “The Legend of Zelda” is one of the best fantasy franchises ever made, its brief television adaptation that began in 1989 feels like a far cry from what the video game series became just a few years later. As far as TV is concerned, “The Legend of Zelda” technically aired alongside “The Super Mario Bros. Super Show” (more on that later), though at the time only two “Zelda” games existed: the original “The Legend of Zelda” and “Zelda II: The Adventure of Link” for the NES. With a lot of lore and series tone yet to be established in “A Link to the Past” on SNES and “Ocarina of Time” for Nintendo 64, the television series took some big swings with its characterizations of the iconic heroes.

For instance, Link, the protagonist of the series who is often voiceless in the games, is voiced by Jonathan Potts and portrayed as a slacker who is constantly nagged by Princess Zelda, voiced by Cyndy Preston, when he’s not being heroic enough. Perhaps you’ve seen a compilation of clips in which Link, in a tone reminiscent of Steve Martin’s comedy routine, retorts Zelda’s criticisms with “Well, excuuuuuse me, princess!”

While it’s an entertaining 13-episode cartoon on its own, its stark contrast with the rest of the “Zelda” series makes it a black sheep in Nintendo’s small television library. If only Netflix’s now-canceled “Zelda” series had gotten a chance to redeem itself.

Donkey Kong is the reason we’re even here talking about Nintendo today, since the original arcade version of “Donkey Kong” marks the origin of not only Mario but also Nintendo’s early dominance in the video game market. However, most people probably don’t know that the modern interpretation of the character originated in 1994’s “Donkey Kong Country” for the SNES, created by Rare, which fitted the primate with his signature red tie and Jimmy Neutron-esque hairdo. Given how perfect of a design it is, it’s no wonder DK got his own animated TV series following two more “Country” games. 

The “Donkey Kong Country” television series premiered on Teletoon in Canada in 1997, following the adventures of Donkey Kong (voiced by Richard Yearwood in English) and his friends Diddy Kong (Andrew Sabiston) and Cranky Kong (voiced by Aron Tager), as they attempt to protect the mystical Crystal Coconut from the nefarious King K. Rool (voiced by Benedict Campbell). 

Like “The Legend of Zelda,” it’s a bit strange to see an often wordless character like Donkey Kong not only speak but do so with a very casual Californian accent. In addition, the animation trends into uncanny valley territory a lot of the time, which definitely brings things down a notch. The show is ultimately a good effort from the creators but has aged poorly, especially the songs created by the musicians behind “Zoboomafoo,” which makes Seth Rogen’s portrayal of the character in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” seem actually pretty inspired. 

The “Mario” franchise is no stranger to adaptations at this point, but when people still criticize the Brooklyn accents of Chris Pratt and Charlie Day in the Illumination movies, it shows just how many people went their entire childhoods without seeing the cartoons. “Super Mario World,” based primarily on the 1991 SNES game, aired for 13 episodes in conjunction with “Captain N: The Game Master,” an animated series that also co-aired with another animated “Mario” series, “The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.” 

In “Super Mario World,” Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool (predating the westernization of her name to “Peach”) reside in Dinosaur World, where they remain the targets of King Koopa’s nefarious plans to kidnap the princess. However, unlike “The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3,” Mario and Luigi have a new ally in Yoshi, and Toad has been replaced with an original character, the cave-boy Oogtar. 

Compared to other adaptations of the “Mario” games, “Super Mario World” is more socially conscious, having to abide by the Children’s Television Act, which requires shows aimed at younger audiences to be educational and informative. Surprisingly, this doesn’t drag the show down, as it still finds ways to creatively use the “Mario” IP to cover topics like bullying and dieting. Of course, its most memorable episode is “Mama Luigi,” which became the subject of YouTube Poops in the early days of the website.

“F-Zero” is unfortunately not Nintendo’s premier racing franchise, given the worldwide success of “Mario Kart.” However, there was a brief time in which “F-Zero” was one of Nintendo’s most recognizable franchises, thanks to how iconic its protagonist Captain Falcon was from the “Super Smash Bros.” franchise. It’s not surprising, then, that in the early 2000s, “F-Zero” got an anime adaptation in “F-Zero: GP Legend,” which originally debuted on TV Tokyo and was localized in the West on 4Kids. 

“F-Zero: GP Legend” follows Rick Wheeler, a detective who is cryogenically frozen and revived in 2201, and is tasked with keeping grand prix prize money out of the nefarious hands of a racer known as Black Shadow, with the help of bounty hunter Captain Falcon. The show aired for over 50 episodes and does a strong job capturing the high-octane action of the video game series, while fleshing out the other iconic characters who appear in the games. 

If you’re a fan of the frantic nature of a series like “Speed Racer,” then “F-Zero: GP Legend” is probably your speed, no pun intended. However, those who are not already fans of the “F-Zero” franchise may still find this to be a captivating series with intriguing plot twists, action sequences, and world-building. It’s only a shame that there hasn’t been a proper new “F-Zero” game since 2004. 

Although “Fire Emblem” has been around as a video game franchise since the ’90s, it didn’t become one of Nintendo’s flagship series until the 2010s, when “Fire Emblem Awakening” for the Nintendo 3DS attracted a larger audience in the West. The strategy RPG series is an anthology; most installments follow a different cast of characters fighting a war across fictional medieval continents, with a heavy emphasis on story, character relationships, and the forces of good and evil. It’s a series that’s ripe for a television adaptation, but would you be surprised to learn that a “Fire Emblem” anime was actually the first installment of the franchise in the West?

While “Fire Emblem” had already been one of the most underrated fantasy series of all time in Japan on the Famicom and Super Famicom, a two-episode original video animation (OVA) series was released on VHS in North America in 1998, two years after its Japanese premiere and still five years before the series hit American markets with “Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade.” 

The OVA shorts take place in the continuity of 1994’s “Mystery of the Emblem,” featuring beloved series protagonist Marth, a young Altean lord protecting his homeland from the empire Dolhr. Although it’s a mostly faithful adaptation of the early events of “Mystery of the Emblem,” what’s interesting about the “Fire Emblem” anime is that Marth’s name is localized in English as “Mars,” predating his canonical introduction as Marth in “Super Smash Bros. Melee” in 2001. 

Speaking of “Super Smash Bros.,” the Nintendo Wii title “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” helped revive another dormant Nintendo franchise: “Kid Icarus,” an NES classic about a flightless angel named Pit who fights the Underworld army in honor of Lady Palutena, the goddess of light. Following Pit’s inclusion in “Brawl,” “Smash Bros.” creator Masahiro Sakurai reimagined the former side-scroller into an action-adventure shooter, “Kid Icarus: Uprising,” for the 3DS. Not only did this game breathe new life into the characters, but it also gave a lot of firepower for a potential television adaptation.

Though a proper “Kid Icarus” series never materialized, “Kid Icarus: Uprising” was released alongside three animated shorts that fleshed out the world and characters. “Thanatos Rising” is a three-episode short in which Pit fights the god of death. “Medusa’s Revenge” chronicles the reincarnation of Medusa following her defeat in the original “Kid Icarus.” Lastly, “Palutena’s Revolting Dinner” is the most comical of the three, a two-episode series in which Palutena’s attempt to cook for herself and Pit results in a monstrous food giant attacking Skyworld.

Sadly, the “Kid Icarus” franchise has been dormant since the 3DS game’s release, even with the favoritism shown towards it in “Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U.” However, these six animated shorts proved the franchise’s potential as one of Nintendo’s easiest to translate to TV, so there’s still a possibility for another “Kid Icarus” uprising — hopefully. 

Believe it or not, much of Mario’s characterization in later series, as well as the Illumination films, has “The Super Mario Bros. Super Show” to thank. Premiering in 1989, this animated series follows the adventures of Mario and Luigi, two plumbers from Brooklyn who travel to the Mushroom Kingdom to protect Princess Toadstool from the conquests of King Koopa. While the animated segments feel like the Nintendo games (at least prior to the release of “Super Mario World” on SNES) come to life, what’s even stranger in hindsight are the live-action portions. 

In addition to voicing the brothers in their animated forms, Lou Albano and Danny Wells also portray the duo in live-action segments that air alongside either the animated segments or episodes of “The Legend of Zelda,” which are shot like a more grounded multi-camera sitcom in which Mario and Luigi run a plumbing business in New York City. Albano and Wells also appear in the series’ iconic theme song, the “Mario Brothers Rap,” which appears in the first Illumination movie, as well as the ending theme, “Do the Mario,” sung by Albano. 

Though most people wouldn’t consider “The Super Mario Bros. Super Show” an ’80s hit that nobody talks about today, it still makes for a genuinely enjoyable cartoon for audiences of all ages. At the very least, it deserves a lot of credit for pioneering the future of the “Mario” brand.  

Obviously, “Pokémon Concierge” isn’t the most well-known television adaptation of the “Pokémon” franchise, but it’s arguably one of the coziest shows on TV. Debuting on Netflix in 2023, the stop-motion animated series follows Haru (Karen Fukuhara), a new employee at the Pokémon Resort meant to care for wild and visiting Pokémon on a remote island. In the eight episodes of the first season, Haru and her partner Pokémon Psyduck help various Pokémon around the island, interacting with fellow resortgoers and employees along the way.

Sure, it might not have the heart-pounding battles and adventure of the mainline “Pokémon: The Series,” but think of this show as the “Pokémon Pokopia” to the anime’s “Pokémon Stadium.” Haru makes for an incredibly relatable and fun protagonist to follow, and seeing stop-motion versions of Pokémon as tiny and cute as Mudkip and Shinx, as well as ones as huge as Snorlax and Wailord, never gets old, especially for longtime fans of the series.

Ultimately, “Pokémon Concierge” may lose fans of the franchise who care more about the action and competitive aspects of the series, but it’s an ideal series for those who love its relaxing vibe. Hopefully, they keep making more episodes, as it’s hard to imagine the show running its course with over 1,000 Pokémon currently existing in the games. 

“Kirby: Right Back at Ya!” is one of the few television shows based on a Nintendo series that had the full support of the company’s higher-ups. Longtime president Satoru Iwata was a producer, and Kirby’s creator Masahiro Sakurai was in charge of adapting his beloved platforming video game for anime audiences. In “Kirby: Right Back at Ya!,” Kirby is part of the next generation of Star Warriors, destined to fight an evil dark lord known as Nightmare, who has mistakenly ended up on Planet Popstar, where Kirby becomes the target of the cruel King Dedede, ruler of Dream Land. 

Thanks to the involvement of Kirby’s creators, “Kirby: Right Back at Ya!” may take the cake as the Nintendo television series that feels most aligned with the games it’s based on. Not only does Kirby spend much of the series sucking up enemies and copying their abilities, but there are also spot-on portrayals of side characters like Meta Knight, a Star Warrior who works for King Dedede, and Nightmare, the final boss of the original “Kirby’s Adventure,” who is voiced by future Broadway and TV star Andrew Rannells. 

“Kirby: Right Back at Ya!” may not be an essential anime series in most people’s minds, but if you were a fan of the “Kirby” games growing up, you either watched this series a ton on 4Kids or missed out on something that would’ve changed your life. 

What else could have taken this top spot besides “Pokémon”? Of all the trial-and-error Nintendo has had with adapting its IP, “Pokémon” has been the exception, thanks to the success of its anime series, which premiered in Japan in 1997 and later in the West in 1999. The series follows Ash Ketchum, a 10-year-old boy from Pallet Town who, with his partner Pokémon Pikachu, travels the globe with the goal of being the very best, like no one ever was. Along the way, he faces powerful trainers, makes unforgettable friends, and meets incredibly rare Legendary Pokémon. 

In the best episodes of the Ash Ketchum era, “Pokémon: The Series” feels like the RPG franchise come to life, featuring epic battles where Ash’s team ekes out wins against formidable opponents. Sadly, Ash’s story came to a close in 2023, and the anime has since picked up with “Pokémon Horizons,” a continuation following a new set of protagonists, Liko and Roy, who have big shoes to fill but have proven themselves great characters in their own right.

There are plenty of anime series that have run for a long time, like the “Dragon Ball” shows, or “One Piece,” but “Pokémon” has maintained consistency for almost 30 years at this point, with no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Ash’s journey may be frustrating for longtime viewers at times, but seeing him succeed, you can’t help but feel like you’re succeeding, too.