1. Luigi
   Lionel
2. Rocco
   Giovanni

Luigi's color scheme was not arrived at by accident. Memory restrictions in the early games meant that Mario and Luigi had to look alike. Game designers opted to give Luigi the Shellcreepers' color scheme (green) since Mario had the Sidesteppers' color (red).

1. Wario
   Bowser
2. Pit
   King Khan

When he was first created, designers wanted to model Bowser after a big, bruising ox. Further down the production line, designers determined Bowser looked more like a turtle than a bovine. Oh well.

1. Mega Man
   Simon Belcourt
2. Solid Snake
   Ness

The title character from the "Mega Man" series, Mega Man himself is actually a young boy-robot hybrid. He's tasked with fighting the mad scientist Dr. Wily and his robot army. It's robot-on-robot violence!

1. Mistool
   Zippy
2. Shroom
   Toad

You'd probably fail at fending off bad guys, too, if you were a "Toad" who was roughly three feet tall. Nevertheless, Toad makes a serious effort to help both Princess Peach and the Mario Bros. along the way.

1. Music-Ally
   Sing-Song
2. Tunez McGee
   DJ Octavio

Drop the beat, DJ Octavio! This octopus-turned-DJ is featured in the video game "Splatoon." Other than his recognizable DJ table, Octavio boasts a gold helmet and a glowing green scar.

1. Jigglypuff
   Peptostar
2. Cottonball
   Rounder

Jigglypuff, from the "Pokémon" series, has a way with others — a sleepy way. Her song causes anyone who hears it to fall asleep, a fact that irritates Jigglypuff because she thinks she has bored everyone.

1. Pokémon
   Pikachu
2. Cilan
   Pachirisu

Pikachu may enjoy a good degree of success in the United States (hello, Pokémon!), but nothing like what he experiences in Japan. There, Pikachu has Mickey-Mouse-level celebrity status.

1. Jody Summer
   Magical Starshine
2. Inkling Girl
   Titania

Inkling Girls and Boys, understandably, live in Inkopolis. These characters can be controlled by human players and repeatedly come back to life after being "splatted." That "no bones" thing probably helps.

1. Princess Zelda
   Princess Link
2. Princess Peach
   Princess Plum

Princess Zelda earned her name in honor of F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife, Zelda. But, that's not the end of the inspiration. It's said that late funnyman Robin Williams named his daughter after the video game character.

1. Princess Plum
   Princess Kiwi
2. Princess Peach
   Princess Pamploma

Formerly known as Princess Toadstool, we think "Princess Peach" has a much nicer ring to it. She rules the Mushroom Kingdom and, apparently, video games, with the most appearances by a female in gaming history.

1. Nabbit
   Invictus
2. Samus
   Everett

Gamers who played the role of Samus in "Metroid" were led to believe, throughout the game, that the character was a man. After all, aren't most video game characters male? At the end, gamers find out that Samus is actually a woman. Gotcha!

1. Rox
   Pom
2. Bubbles
   Kirby

If you thought "Kirby" just fit this plump little ball of bubblegum-pink fun, guess again. His name is derived from John Kirby, an attorney who represented Nintendo in a large, potentially damaging case.

1. Rosalina
   Morana
2. Reyna
   Isabelle

Isabelle is a yellow Shih Tzu dog breed in the Nintendo series "Animal Crossing." When designers first created her, they dubbed her "Secretary," later giving her an actual name, Isabelle.

1. Pup McDougall
   Beethoven
2. Duck Hunt Dog
   Mister Whiskers

Known simply as "Duck Hunt Dog," there was nothing worse than being laughed at by a pooch for failing to make some achievement in the addictive "Duck Hunt" game. The first "Duck Hunt" was released in 1984.

1. King Dedede
   King Lalala
2. King Koko
   King Rayray

King Dedede has announced himself as king, but it's a title he actually stole from Dreamland's rightful rulers, the Cappy Clan. Dedede is a bit childish, playing pranks on his subjects and even stealing their food. Rude.

1. Little Mac
   Little Rocky
2. Little Zee
   Little Bittle

Little Mac is a character — a boxer, in fact — from the "Punch-Out!!" game, which first debuted in 1987. Despite his small stature, Little Mac had a goal to become a heavyweight champion. It never hurts to dream.

1. Diddy Kong
   Monster Kong
2. Donkey Kong
   King Kong

He's a "Kong" — that's from the "King Kong" family line, don't you know — but he's not very bright. Designers of the "Donkey Kong" video game hunted for a first name for the gorilla that spoke to him being not very smart.

1. Mario
   Luigi
2. Ralph
   Yoshi

In the years since Mario was first introduced, he has played a number of roles in a variety of video game titles including plumber, carpenter, doctor and archaeologist. To date, everyone's favorite Italian video game character has shown up in more than 200 games.

1. Sphinx
   Link
2. Zelda
   Tingle

Video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto has said in prior interviews that the main character in "The Legend of Zelda," Link, was inspired by none other than Peter Pan. Just check out that green outfit!

1. Captain Ax
   Captain Starlord
2. Captain Hawk
   Captain Falcon

There's been much debate about who's faster in the video game world, Sonic or Captain Falcon. Alas, since they come from different companies (Nintendo vs. Sega), we'll likely never know.

1. Mr. Mister
   Mr. Outline
2. Mr. Game & Watch
   Mr. Yelling Stuff

Mr. Game & Watch is a pretty bland, two-dimensional character who was the main character of the "Game & Watch" series. Mr. Game & Watch was never even named until "Super Smash Bros. Melee."

1. Zoshi
   Koshi
2. Yoshi
   Moshi

He answers to "Yoshi," but his full name is T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas. (That's too much to put on a business card, huh?) Yoshi is Mario's dinosaur pal in the beloved "Mario" franchise.

1. Pit
   Piers
2. Sheba
   Reyn

One good turn deserves another, we suppose. After Lady Palutena helps free Pit from the Underworld, he's tasked with the job of defeating a game villain, Medusa. Pit is given a bow and arrow to assist with the job.

1. Scorch
   Skunk
2. Shank
   Shulk

Shulk ... sounds sort of like Hulk, doesn't it? A main character in "Xenoblade Chronicles," Shulk is orphaned as a child and later comes to possess the sword only a few can wield. Now that sounds like Thor!

1. Stinging Sammy
   Venus Flytrap
2. Petey Piranha
   Toadworth

Petey Piranha makes good use of his, ahem, natural abilities, using his vines to wrap up his enemies. Petey debuted in the Nintendo game "Super Mario Sunshine," but don't get it twisted: He's a bad dude.

1. Ganon The Terrible
   Ridley
2. Boo Radley
   Anorak

Like all good video game villains, Ridley has done some pretty despicable things. He regularly clashes with "Metroid's" protagonist, Samus, typically coming up on the short end of the stick.

1. Midna
   Scoff
2. Cheepskipper
   Tingle

It isn't revealed until well into the "Zelda" series, but Midna is the true princess of the Twilight Realm. She and Link join forces during the game to battle villains that neither can handle alone.

1. Ralphie
   Radar
2. Oliver
   Olimar

Olimar, or Captain Olimar since he was guiding a vessel that crashed on a mysterious planet, found Pikmin (also the title of the game) growing out of the ground. The Pikmin were animals who came to Olimar's aid.

1. Falco Lombardi
   Rocket
2. Sniffer the Fox
   Fox McCloud

Fox McCloud of "Star Fox 64" fame became a fox when designers were reminded of a nearby Shinto shrine and its fox statues on display. Elements of the game were said to be reminiscent of the shrine's arches.

1. Caroline
   Maureen
2. Pauline
   Jessica

Mario's leading lady was none other than a female named Pauline (not Princess Peach, as many people believe) in the "Donkey Kong" franchise. Pauline is kidnapped by the gorilla, and Mario must win her back.

1. Palutena
   Menorca
2. Mallorca
   Lucina

Palutena in "Kid Icarus" is goodness and light, perched on the opposite side of the villain, Medusa. Also known as "Lady Palutena," this ruler of Angel Land first appeared on-screen in December 1986.

1. Navi
   GeePee
2. N. Star
   Ocarina

"Navi" seems appropriate given what we know about navigational systems in today's modern vehicles. Navi helped Link as he navigated the world in the "Zelda" series of video games.

1. Yellow
   Midna
2. Tetra
   Poppy

Tetra, a pirate girl from "The Legend of Zelda," is a mystery. She is, at once, both seemingly ruthless and surprisingly kind. Tetra appears in several "Zelda" titles in addition to several "Super Smash Bros." games.

1. Mortimer
   Isaac
2. Maxwell
   Lucas

Since Maxwell is a drawing, his expression never changes, so don't go challenging him to a game of poker. "Scribblenauts" was a puzzle-type game released for the Nintendo DS in 2009.

1. Alph
   K.K. Slider
2. Tom Nook
   Mr. Jingles

Tom Nook plays a vital role in "Animal Crossing," operating the town's shop where players can find their first jobs upon starting the game. Don't get mad when Tom lays you off later on, though!

1. Flux
   Staid
2. Gronk
   Kraid

Hey, don't judge him for his three belly buttons! Kraid, a monster from the "Metroid" franchise, not only has three belly buttons, but also three red eyes, both of which accompany his green body.

1. Lissa
   Fiora
2. Dolly
   Krystal

Krystal joined the Star Fox crew after McCloud saved the planet, Sauria. (Isn't that how we all fall in love?) She has telepathic abilities and is the main character McCloud's love interest.

1. Steel Solomon
   Paper Ron
2. Glass Joe
   Plastic Todd

Glass Joe was a French boxer in "Punch-Out!!", an opponent for characters like Little Mac. Some people voiced criticism over stereotypes of the French people portrayed in Glass Joe's character.

1. Giygas
   Ninten
2. Kumatora
   Porky Minch

Ninten from "EarthBound Beginnings" used everyday objects as weapons, which makes sense since he's just a boy from a small town called Podunk. "EarthBound Beginnings" was first released in 1989.

1. Tails
   Robo-Man
2. Tin Star
   Roy

The title character from the video game "Tin Star," Tin Star is the robot sheriff of Ol' West. Tin Star was published for the Super NES system in late 1994. Tin Star has a horse named Aluminum because of course, he does.