The mystery of who Nabbit is and why he wears a bowser jr bandanna are questions I am almost 100% certain will never be answered because Nintendo couldn’t care less
Actually, knowing Nintendo is probably going to be answered like 15 to 20 years later in some random interview and the actual answer is going to blow all of our minds.
It will definitely be when some journalist corners some Nintendo rep with the question during an interview regarding a game that features Nabbit. But yes, I give it 15-20 years from now.
What I think is that he stole bowser jrs original bandana that was probably given to him by his father. That would explain why nabbits is super clean and nice while jrs mask is messy, he remade it himself
@@justiceiria869 To be fair, unlike Nabbit, Wario has had bouts of being a full blown villain that went way beyond just stealing things. Granted, that was mostly in his early days, but that doesn't take away the fact that those bouts of villainy still happened, not to mention that Wario usually has ulterior motives behind his heroic acts (unlike Nabbit, who from what we've seen has shown nothing that may hint at him helping the heroes for his selfish gains), and is in general not a nice guy
I'm personally glad, I thought Peachette would prevent Daisy from being playable, and thankfully it didn't, besides she doesn't deserve the easy mode character treatment.
Nabbit is just a little guy that’s firmly chaotic neutral on the alignment chart and has a touch of kleptomania on the side as a treat! My headcanon for his motivations are he’s curious, entertains himself with meddling (helping) when something interesting is going with no preference for picking “sides,” and just does whatever he feels like because he can. He’s probably just a purple rabbit dude that wears a bandanna to go with his thief aesthetic. Conclusion: Lil guy
I actually like the idea of Nabbit being a rebel Toad, using a magic rabbit hat to disguise his shroom head and the bandana/bib to cover his face. Would explain why he's constantly stealing from other Toads, and not the Bros. in particular. After all, while Nabbit doesn't work for Bowser, there have been instances of Mushroom Kingdom citizens betraying the kingdom to join Bowser, that being the Goomba species. So yeah, probably not the answer at this point, but I like DogmanSP's interpretation of Nabbit Toad to be my own headcanon.
@@elio7610 It's never been flat out stated, but there are implications. For one thing, plenty serve Bowser's army, while there are many others that are allies with the Mushroom Kingdom in the Paper Mario games. But what makes it a bit clearer is how Goombas, much like Toads, are anthropomorphic fungi. They're based on shiitake mushrooms.
I guess it depends on the source material because some sources say goombas are cursed toads transformed by bowsers spell, other sources say bowser created them, others say they’re just naturally evil but some are good. So other way around
In Mario and Luigi Paper Jam it’s even shown Nabbit is wanted by the Koopa Troop from stealing from Bowser which outright confirms that he does not work for Bowser despite the fact he wears a bandana that is similar to Bowser Jr’s.
In the Mario Wonder tips screen there is a tidbit that says “Nabbit is not really an enemy or an ally, just someone keeping an eye on Mario and his friends…” This struck me as really mysterious and made me wonder if there is more to this character than they’ve revealed about
Yeah I was gonna mention this, its such a weird description. Keeping an eye on Mario and his friends? Wtf? It sounds ass if Nabbit is like some old character in a disguise that knows them or something
If Nabbit has 100 fans, I am one of them. If Nabbit has 10 fans, I am one of them. If Nabbit has 0 fans, I am dead 'Till my last breath, I will love Nabbit. He deserves more love and to be in more Mario games. And he especially deserves to be an official playable character as opposed to being the "Easy-Mode" of the series.
I think the strangest thing about Nabbit's mask is that while it _does_ look similar to Bowser Jr's mask, it actually looks _neater_ than Jr's mask. Bowser Jr's mask looks like it was scribbled on by him... Meanwhile, Nabbit's has clean lines... Which implies that Nabbits mask design may have come first, and Bowser Jr. actually just copied it.
What I want to say is that a Nabbit was a thief stealing for himself, turned a hero for the greater good. He seems to have no true allegiance to Bowser, as he steals from him in Mario Party 10 and M&L Paper Jam. In Paper Jam, when the brothers decide to help Nabbit out of trouble, instead of taking advantage of their kindness and running away, Nabbit heals them during the fight. Also, after seeing firsthand seeing the pros of being heroic in Luigi U’s ending (Nabbit spies when Peach gives a kiss and he waves in a friendly manner when everyone celebrates), this could have created a change of heart. It’d be cool to see an end scene in wonder where Nabbit gives a saddened Toad or Poplin a mushroom to cheer him up and goes on his marry way
I like not knowing who he is, and it's nice to see him show up quite frequently in random games. If we get any more hidden characters for Mario Kart 8, I'd be very happy to see him show up.
It's strange that he was established as Mario's ally to study Mario, rather than as a bandit like Sonic's fang. I thought it was kind of funny that he decided to get to know Mario by helping him instead of being Mario's rival, and I like how Mario and the others accept him too.
I actually found myself liking Nabbit more than I thought. He comes out of nowhere in Mario games and does whatever he wants in terms of Gameplay and Morality, with little to no explanation. He may not be Wario or Waluigi, but I must respect what a Mysterious Inclusion he is to the Mario cast. He's a Chad.
Glad to see a video on Nabbit, it’s interesting the 2D Mario team is sticking to the character when he isn’t even in Mario Kart 8 or most Mario spinoffs, but that makes his appearance in Wonder all the more exciting! I think the thing thats interesting about Nabbit is that for a “little brother mode” his role is actually against the other players! While getting through the levels and getting starcoins are positives, the fact he takes powerups and cashes them as personal 1ups (until wonder at least) means the Nabbit player is rewarded for being selfish. Not only that but being invincible to enemies incentivizes a player to blitz through the levels, much to others digrsssion. In comparrison, yoshi players in wonder act to support the main cast, boosting them or taking away enemies. Much like Tails in classic sonic games, where the screen revolves around Sonic, who tails can help, or in 3d mario games where the second player is the costar luma or cappy, helping out Mario along the way. Perhaps this role could’ve been filled with a character like Wario instead, but Nabbit’s cheeky smile and blank eyes give him such gremlin energy, messing with the other players only for the fun of it. He’s finding his place in the Mario Universe and I’m excited for this lil bugger to be hanging around.
I love Nabbit and I know I’m still gonna love playing as him in Wonder, despite him being an easy mode character. I always like to rotate characters out whenever Nintendo gives us multiple characters to choose from so Nabbit’s definitely gonna get some love from me, as well as the other characters
In one of the loading screen text blurbs in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, it says that Nabbit isn't a hero or a villain- rather, he's someone who keeps a close eye on Mario and Luigi (I can't remember the exact phrasing but it was something like that). That makes his presence feel way more ominous than I think Nintendo intended
I still think it’s crazy how he just lives by his own rules and doesn’t care about the repercussions afterwards. Hence him stealing from Bowser’s Castle in Paper Jam
Honestly Nabbit is the prime example of Chaotic Neutral in the Mario series. He's hardly a clear-cut hero and has no problem stealing stuff, but at the same time he's not outwardly malicious, doesn't work for Bowser, doesn't go beyond stealing and is not above working with the heroes, no strings attached
I don't hate Nabbit as a character because of his abilities and special items but to me, he's not what I'd call a fan favorite, he's just kind of there in the Mario lore but Nintendo loves putting him in everything. Also, I never understood why he also had a bandana that looks exactly like Bowser Jr's, I saw one piece of fanart of Bowser Jr wearing a Nabbit suit as a theory that Bowser Jr could actually be Nabbit. Of course, that's not canon but I thought it was interesting to bring that up.
I'm surprised you didn't include his manga appearance! It certainly was... interesting to say the least! Great video as per usual! I always enjoy the great work you do on these deep dive video essays on these characters. 😊
I always assumed that Nabbit came from the Rabbids series, which I’ve never played but have known about. Surprising to see that it was the case. Great video!!
In the original New Super Luigi U, there was a "secret" where you could play as Nabbit single-player by holding the shoulder buttons when starting a level. I beat all the levels and star coins this way and then felt bad when I got the congratulations at the end. (Though tbf that game was hard even with Nabbit.) The final level also requires an acorn suit so instead of Nabbit, holding the button replaced Luigi with my Mii, which freaked me out
Even in mario wonder, the loading screen hint states that "Nabbit isn't an enemy or an ally he's just keeping an eye on Mario and his friends" so he really is the edgy morally grey character of the Marioverse
bowser junior's bandana looks hand drawn, whereas nabbit's looks printed or professionally made. this implies that bowser junior may have been inspired by nabbit to make the bandana, which is interesting
My headcanon as to why Bowser Jr. and Nabbit share the same bandana, just with Juniors being drawn worse is that Nabbit is a famous thief and rascal in the mario universe and became an idol for Bowser Jr. who tried to imitate him.
Even if Nabbit is mysterious, what we know on the loading screens for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a little “Fun Fact” or “Tips” on the bottom of them shows one about Nabbit (From what I’ve seen) saying, “Nabbit isn’t really an enemy or an ally, really-just someone keeping an eye on Mario and his friends…” which can mean their many appearances in the Mario games was just them watching over Mario and the others. Which makes them even more mysterious to why Nabbit even does this. Maybe someone has said this already, but I might aswell make this other than leave it just to make sure.
To me, Nabbit is just that character so carismatic that the Nintendo thinks thats is a good idea to make him be present in as much as possible game of Mario (and other games, 'cause if you look inside in your memories, Zelda Between World, there is a character that looks like a lot), if not, playable. I think he is such a nice character that i would play with him in Mario Wonder, if the invencibility was not a required thing.
Thanks for the info! Out of curiosity: does Toadsworth have any alibis? It's a weird thought, but... -He apparently keeps tabs on Mario, but will also team up with him to fight bowser -Seemingly just has fun as a thief, might not need the actual cash -Toadsworth was there for Bowser Jr.'s original appearance and might've been inspired by the mask Flimsy evidence, I admit, but it'd mean that Toadsworth has actually been in every game that Nabbit was in.
That Nabbit looks a lot like Ravio can't be a coincidence. So if Ravio is not connected to Mario, then there is another obvious explanation for that: Their designs were inspired by the same source. Now I'm only familiar with moon rabbits in Japanese mythology (who tend to pop up in Mario games, unrelated to Nabbit), but if Japan has mysterious purple rabbits that hoard items, it would explain a lot.
Yeah, for example Chain Chomp was originally designed to be a Zelda character but debuted on the Mario side because the concept art was shared with the teams. Wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case here too
Because Nabbit's bandana is more neat looking than Bowser Jr's, my headcanon is that Nabbit is a famous theif and Jr is such a big fan he copied Nabbit's bandana
There’s also a Kirby character that I get confused for Nabbit as well. I’ve been playing Kirby Air Ride and it’s an event where this creature has stolen items in a sack
Nabbit really feels like one of those youtubers who get into a scandal, and then suddenly they're everywhere and everyone you know is talking about them like you're supposed to have known them this whole time. He really has "Who the fuck is dream" energy to me lol
I like to think that Nabbit is a ex-member of Bowser’s Army. Who was just a bit too mischievous and got discharged. And my guess as to why he has Jr’s Bandana, was that he yoinked it as soon as he was getting kicked out of Bowser’s Castle, leaving Bowser and or Jr to make a new one. Also i like Nabbit, a lot. I don’t think the mystery as to who he really is will ever get solved, but i personally like it that way.
Its funny because before his return in Wonder i was joking to myself how they just milked Nabbit during the Wii U era and just left him in an alley once the switch came out. But lo and be higgiyy hold
I think they're pushing him into the mainstream. It's a bit like how koopa troopa isn't the main character of mario kart but he's in (almost) every game.
I heard of a theory somewhere that Nabbit actually stole Bowser Juniors bandanna. If you look at Juniors bandanna the mouth looks like it was drawn on with crayons while with Nabbits bandanna it looks printed on. So basically, Nabbit stole his bandanna and Junior decided to make a new one.
Scott the Woz just made a video about the year of Luigi, and said that the reason for nabbit not using power-ups and not taking damage in Luigi U is most likely a cost-cutting technique so that they can 1. reuse a model that was already used and animated in Mario U and 2. not have to add new models for each power-up and for shrinking when taking damage... blew my mind to hear that and it makes a lot of sense! [the video is on his side channel Scott's Stash if interested]
Fun fact, Nabbit and Yoshi while both are invincible, there’s reason for choosing either one, because they both have different invincibility Yoshi has the tongue and flutter jump, but they still take hitstun from enemies, unlike nabbit who doesn’t get knocked down
The main red toad is actually playable in other games, such as Mario Maker 2 and Mario 3D World, but for some reason they decided to change his color. And no, the Blue Toads between the New Super Mario Bros series and 3D World aren't the same.
"Nabbit isn't an ally or an enemy, just someone keeping an eye on Mario and his friends..." -one Super Mario Bros. Wonder loading screen (don't quote me)
Fun fact: In Bowser Jr's Journey, you get to battle Nabbit but he will never join Jr's troop *UNLESS* you use Ludwig's Negotiate ability to talk him into it. So yeah, Luigi probably just promised him extra snacks if he helps save the day.
There is a loading screen tip in mario wonder about nabbit: "Nabbit isn't an enemy or an ally really... he's just there to keep an eye on mario and his friends"
4:28 NSMB Wii, NSMB 2, NSMB U NSL U and NSMB U Deluxe are having a party then NSMB shows up and asked "Am I invited?" All the other titles just look at NSMB and just laughed and said "Sorry Bro we forgot you existed."
I didn't like how to took a 4th spot so you're forced to use an easy character like Toadette was for Deluxe, but now that he's an optional character, I think he's great for beginners, with his bandana maybe not just being a thing thieves wear but relating to Bowser Jr who is a child, like the players using him, especially since it's a bib for Jr. It is curious though why Bowser Jr draws his on when Nabbit has a printed one implying either Nabbit is older and copied but improved his bandana or Jr copied Nabbit's by drawing his design. Clearly a thief on his own side being a villain and a hero or just neutral and stealing for himself because he can. Love though how I just learnt the secret Toad house is his, and the records there even being explained as him spying on and researching Mario and his friends. Why is he so interested? Being Bowser Jr would have made sense once until you notice design differences, because of how he does like Mario and has worked with him to save the day, and is more of a mischievous guy rather than a bad guy, but I love the mystery that he could be a Toad, a rabbit or just anyone else old or new, good or bad or neutral, but has an interest in Mario whether for good or bad. Shame Nintendo probably won't go into this ever. Or maybe now that they're moving in a newer direction bringing back rpgs and being creative with design and bringing back characters, we could see more...
Also teaming up with Mario to help or to study him is interesting, because he notes how many times he's been caught by Mario too, which sure is for the player but it's the most character related lore we've gotten recently even if it took the Olympic spin off game to make us aware that the records are for him as much as it was for us,.
Great work man. Funny looking little guy, the way he runs with the knapsack over his shoulder makes me chuckle haha. I'm sure we'll see him in a future smash bros installment as a fighter too
I have no evidence for this, but I like to think Nabbit is a Shy Guy without the cloak, and I bet he has a bandana because he’s still a little shy on the inside which is why he sneaks around rather then fighting
Mushroom log #1 : *Indistinct voice* "Oh... Is that so? Ahem... Oh sorry, was this on? Erm, anyways, what are the reports of purple toad we have so far?" Well we already know he is... unique from the rest of us. Ever since the princess banished him there have been reports of missing items in toad houses. He's a very sneaky one. The items stolen are usually Yoshi eggs and mushrooms, sometimes even 1ups. Only two eggs have been retrieved during a chase with purple toad when he dropped them. The Yoshi's born from those eggs were perfectly fine. Another incident is when our guards saw the purple toad sneaking into the castle, he was burned by a fire flower, but came back via a 1up. We don't know how many he has, but he is obviously a threat to us. After the castle break-in incident, we never saw purple toad again. The only other suspect we have is someone dressed up as a purple rabbit, always carrying a bag of items. They have also stolen various items from toads, and for some damn reason, Mario and his friends let that purple bunny in on their gang! What a bunch of koopacrap. One thing is for sure, that Nabbit has to be the purple toad. I am sure of that. Incident A body of a yellow toad was found in a yellow toad house, the body was missing flesh in various spots and the bandana they always wore was torn off. The yellow toad was one of our tape loggers. He was working on the purple toad case. He had suspected a strange fellow named Nabbit had been Purple Toad. 3 days after he had stated that, his body was found. All of the items in his house were missing. Only a small piece of purple fabric was retrieved.
my headcanon about the bowser jr similarities are that nabbit stole bowser jr's original mask but bjr liked it too much so he drew one himself, which would explain why nabbits' is neater and bjr's looks like it was drawn with crayon
I thought at first that Nabbit might have been a character that came from the times that the Mario universe and Rabbids universe crossed paths... However, Rabbids have different eyes than Nabbit does, and other on-line sources say that Nabbit is "not to be confused with Rabbids"...
Nabbit is me. I exist everywhere. Time and space mean nothing to multiversal being such as myself. Especially when there's killing to be done... I'm outside
He was a cool new side "villain" in nsmbu, playing as him was neat in luigi u even if he's just an easy mode, and I'm glad he's back in Wonder. I love his design and hope he continues to show up in side games like Mario Kart/Party/etc... though I'd like it if he could use powerups and the invincibility could be disabled
At first I thought Nabbit was a toad on disguise... The toad would nab items then sell said items at the toad house... But the Mario wonder... The Nabbit eyes blink... So that made me rethink my theory.
It would have been nice for it to actually have been bowser Junior in disguise just wanting to steal from the toads but then just becoming an ally to mario. "Begrudgingly"
The mystery of who Nabbit is and why he wears a bowser jr bandanna are questions I am almost 100% certain will never be answered because Nintendo couldn’t care less
Actually, knowing Nintendo is probably going to be answered like 15 to 20 years later in some random interview and the actual answer is going to blow all of our minds.
It will definitely be when some journalist corners some Nintendo rep with the question during an interview regarding a game that features Nabbit. But yes, I give it 15-20 years from now.
@@jordanwhite352or be really disappointing 😅
He's Jr's pet
What I think is that he stole bowser jrs original bandana that was probably given to him by his father. That would explain why nabbits is super clean and nice while jrs mask is messy, he remade it himself
Ngl I kinda like the fact that there is just one character who is neutral, not related to anyone by any means and just does whatever he wants to do
Just like Hisoka...
Literally Nabbit is the Hisoka from Super mario bros. Franchise 😮😱🤯☠️💭.
Sheeesh poggers 👉🤓👈.
Bro, isn't that wario? He also does whatever he wants but its just that money is his only motivator.
@@justiceiria869 Wario is related to himself
@@justiceiria869both like taking stuff so
@@justiceiria869 To be fair, unlike Nabbit, Wario has had bouts of being a full blown villain that went way beyond just stealing things. Granted, that was mostly in his early days, but that doesn't take away the fact that those bouts of villainy still happened, not to mention that Wario usually has ulterior motives behind his heroic acts (unlike Nabbit, who from what we've seen has shown nothing that may hint at him helping the heroes for his selfish gains), and is in general not a nice guy
The fact they decided to make a whole new character for Luigi U instead of just making Daisy playable is crazy
It asinine.
Nabbit has been before NSLU
Nabbit already had a model, map screen animations and level animations so implementing him as a character was probably very convenient
I'm personally glad, I thought Peachette would prevent Daisy from being playable, and thankfully it didn't, besides she doesn't deserve the easy mode character treatment.
Daisy fans will blame everything for not having daisy playable lol
Nabbit is just a little guy that’s firmly chaotic neutral on the alignment chart and has a touch of kleptomania on the side as a treat! My headcanon for his motivations are he’s curious, entertains himself with meddling (helping) when something interesting is going with no preference for picking “sides,” and just does whatever he feels like because he can. He’s probably just a purple rabbit dude that wears a bandanna to go with his thief aesthetic. Conclusion: Lil guy
I actually like the idea of Nabbit being a rebel Toad, using a magic rabbit hat to disguise his shroom head and the bandana/bib to cover his face. Would explain why he's constantly stealing from other Toads, and not the Bros. in particular. After all, while Nabbit doesn't work for Bowser, there have been instances of Mushroom Kingdom citizens betraying the kingdom to join Bowser, that being the Goomba species. So yeah, probably not the answer at this point, but I like DogmanSP's interpretation of Nabbit Toad to be my own headcanon.
"Cases of toads betraying Mushroom kingdom" ¿Like who?
@@zerogyoro4521 I mentioned the Goombas?
@@SmokeTheHorsehogWhen were the goombas ever mentioned to have pleged alegiance to Mushroom Kingdom?
@@elio7610 It's never been flat out stated, but there are implications. For one thing, plenty serve Bowser's army, while there are many others that are allies with the Mushroom Kingdom in the Paper Mario games. But what makes it a bit clearer is how Goombas, much like Toads, are anthropomorphic fungi. They're based on shiitake mushrooms.
I guess it depends on the source material because some sources say goombas are cursed toads transformed by bowsers spell, other sources say bowser created them, others say they’re just naturally evil but some are good. So other way around
In Mario and Luigi Paper Jam it’s even shown Nabbit is wanted by the Koopa Troop from stealing from Bowser which outright confirms that he does not work for Bowser despite the fact he wears a bandana that is similar to Bowser Jr’s.
He stole the Bros Attacks in the game, which I find interesting. What would be want with the Bros Attacks?
In the Mario Wonder tips screen there is a tidbit that says “Nabbit is not really an enemy or an ally, just someone keeping an eye on Mario and his friends…” This struck me as really mysterious and made me wonder if there is more to this character than they’ve revealed about
Yeah I was gonna mention this, its such a weird description. Keeping an eye on Mario and his friends? Wtf? It sounds ass if Nabbit is like some old character in a disguise that knows them or something
Imagine if he becomes the final boss in a later game, with the ability to use every power up in the games he's been in prior
If Nabbit has 100 fans, I am one of them.
If Nabbit has 10 fans, I am one of them.
If Nabbit has 0 fans, I am dead
'Till my last breath, I will love Nabbit. He deserves more love and to be in more Mario games. And he especially deserves to be an official playable character as opposed to being the "Easy-Mode" of the series.
Nabbit and Popple enter a room.
Absolutely agree 😍
@@thefrubblewarrior4678the bartender gives one a drink
I think the strangest thing about Nabbit's mask is that while it _does_ look similar to Bowser Jr's mask, it actually looks _neater_ than Jr's mask. Bowser Jr's mask looks like it was scribbled on by him... Meanwhile, Nabbit's has clean lines... Which implies that Nabbits mask design may have come first, and Bowser Jr. actually just copied it.
no
@@rasmusgarbonzo1411 What do you mean no?
@@lasercraft32 just bc bowser jrs mask is messier doesnt imply that he copied it. It isnt that deep.
@@rasmusgarbonzo1411 You're right. How is Bowser Jr. copying a mask he saw considered deep? This isn't lore shattering stuff or anything.
@@lasercraft32bowser jr is an artist so he copied his original bandanna and threw it out
What I want to say is that a Nabbit was a thief stealing for himself, turned a hero for the greater good. He seems to have no true allegiance to Bowser, as he steals from him in Mario Party 10 and M&L Paper Jam. In Paper Jam, when the brothers decide to help Nabbit out of trouble, instead of taking advantage of their kindness and running away, Nabbit heals them during the fight. Also, after seeing firsthand seeing the pros of being heroic in Luigi U’s ending (Nabbit spies when Peach gives a kiss and he waves in a friendly manner when everyone celebrates), this could have created a change of heart. It’d be cool to see an end scene in wonder where Nabbit gives a saddened Toad or Poplin a mushroom to cheer him up and goes on his marry way
I like not knowing who he is, and it's nice to see him show up quite frequently in random games.
If we get any more hidden characters for Mario Kart 8, I'd be very happy to see him show up.
And here's another mysterious character that we will never know much about because Mario games have very little lore.
Which is depressing 😢
@@gracekim1998 Absolutely
Popple: You took everything from me.
Nabbit: *s c r e e c h i n g*
It's strange that he was established as Mario's ally to study Mario, rather than as a bandit like Sonic's fang. I thought it was kind of funny that he decided to get to know Mario by helping him instead of being Mario's rival, and I like how Mario and the others accept him too.
the mario wonder loading screen tip: "Nabbit isn't a friend or foe, really - just someone keeping an eye on Mario and friends..."
@@MelodyLuminabut he help mario
it's funny
I actually found myself liking Nabbit more than I thought. He comes out of nowhere in Mario games and does whatever he wants in terms of Gameplay and Morality, with little to no explanation. He may not be Wario or Waluigi, but I must respect what a Mysterious Inclusion he is to the Mario cast. He's a Chad.
Nabbit is such a mysterious character. That's why he's one of my favorite Mario characters.
Glad to see a video on Nabbit, it’s interesting the 2D Mario team is sticking to the character when he isn’t even in Mario Kart 8 or most Mario spinoffs, but that makes his appearance in Wonder all the more exciting!
I think the thing thats interesting about Nabbit is that for a “little brother mode” his role is actually against the other players! While getting through the levels and getting starcoins are positives, the fact he takes powerups and cashes them as personal 1ups (until wonder at least) means the Nabbit player is rewarded for being selfish. Not only that but being invincible to enemies incentivizes a player to blitz through the levels, much to others digrsssion.
In comparrison, yoshi players in wonder act to support the main cast, boosting them or taking away enemies. Much like Tails in classic sonic games, where the screen revolves around Sonic, who tails can help, or in 3d mario games where the second player is the costar luma or cappy, helping out Mario along the way.
Perhaps this role could’ve been filled with a character like Wario instead, but Nabbit’s cheeky smile and blank eyes give him such gremlin energy, messing with the other players only for the fun of it. He’s finding his place in the Mario Universe and I’m excited for this lil bugger to be hanging around.
I love Nabbit and I know I’m still gonna love playing as him in Wonder, despite him being an easy mode character. I always like to rotate characters out whenever Nintendo gives us multiple characters to choose from so Nabbit’s definitely gonna get some love from me, as well as the other characters
In one of the loading screen text blurbs in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, it says that Nabbit isn't a hero or a villain- rather, he's someone who keeps a close eye on Mario and Luigi (I can't remember the exact phrasing but it was something like that). That makes his presence feel way more ominous than I think Nintendo intended
I saw that one too! I even got a screenshot of it
Honestly, I’m glad Nabbit is back, I love his design.
I still think it’s crazy how he just lives by his own rules and doesn’t care about the repercussions afterwards. Hence him stealing from Bowser’s Castle in Paper Jam
Honestly Nabbit is the prime example of Chaotic Neutral in the Mario series. He's hardly a clear-cut hero and has no problem stealing stuff, but at the same time he's not outwardly malicious, doesn't work for Bowser, doesn't go beyond stealing and is not above working with the heroes, no strings attached
I don't hate Nabbit as a character because of his abilities and special items but to me, he's not what I'd call a fan favorite, he's just kind of there in the Mario lore but Nintendo loves putting him in everything. Also, I never understood why he also had a bandana that looks exactly like Bowser Jr's, I saw one piece of fanart of Bowser Jr wearing a Nabbit suit as a theory that Bowser Jr could actually be Nabbit. Of course, that's not canon but I thought it was interesting to bring that up.
but can't Nabbit beat Bowser Junior in NSMBU?
He only appeared in the lastest super mario bros games, and maybe in some spin offs games if I remember correctly, he's not in "everything"
I'm surprised you didn't include his manga appearance! It certainly was... interesting to say the least!
Great video as per usual! I always enjoy the great work you do on these deep dive video essays on these characters. 😊
MANGA APPERENCE???!!!🤯
@@troyjones817 There Manga base off mainline Mario games in Japan.
What was he like in the manga?
mf really gon send us down a mario manga rabbithole
@@Josuhnabbithole*
I always assumed that Nabbit came from the Rabbids series, which I’ve never played but have known about. Surprising to see that it was the case. Great video!!
If he were, he would go "BWAAAAAAH" when you get him
that's wild actually
What do you mean?
whoa that’s insane tbf
Its in his name for God's sake
In the original New Super Luigi U, there was a "secret" where you could play as Nabbit single-player by holding the shoulder buttons when starting a level. I beat all the levels and star coins this way and then felt bad when I got the congratulations at the end. (Though tbf that game was hard even with Nabbit.) The final level also requires an acorn suit so instead of Nabbit, holding the button replaced Luigi with my Mii, which freaked me out
Even in mario wonder, the loading screen hint states that "Nabbit isn't an enemy or an ally he's just keeping an eye on Mario and his friends" so he really is the edgy morally grey character of the Marioverse
Dang Nabbit
I hope you’re proud of yourself there, friendo.
He has a cool character design, catchy name, and is a fun workaround to implementing an easy mode
bowser junior's bandana looks hand drawn, whereas nabbit's looks printed or professionally made. this implies that bowser junior may have been inspired by nabbit to make the bandana, which is interesting
I like to imagine that he and Bowser Jr. are friends, hence the bandana.
Nabbit the bandit rabbit is so cute! I love him. I’m happy to see him stay relevant in the Mario franchise.
Call me crazy, but we actually never saw Toadsworth and Nabbit in the same game...
Toadsworth is a forgotten mario character.
@@3DoublePointbecause he's disguised all the time!
@@3DoublePointRIP Chunky Kong, Donkey Kong Jr, and the baby bowsers
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT CAME UP WITH THIS
He’s an old man though. He can’t run that fast. Besides Nabbit is an enemy *or* an ally to Mario, Toadsworth is an ally to Mario
My headcanon as to why Bowser Jr. and Nabbit share the same bandana, just with Juniors being drawn worse is that Nabbit is a famous thief and rascal in the mario universe and became an idol for Bowser Jr. who tried to imitate him.
Even if Nabbit is mysterious, what we know on the loading screens for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a little “Fun Fact” or “Tips” on the bottom of them shows one about Nabbit (From what I’ve seen) saying,
“Nabbit isn’t really an enemy or an ally, really-just someone keeping an eye on Mario and his friends…” which can mean their many appearances in the Mario games was just them watching over Mario and the others. Which makes them even more mysterious to why Nabbit even does this. Maybe someone has said this already, but I might aswell make this other than leave it just to make sure.
He is like the Noid crossed with a stereotypical thief.
To me, Nabbit is just that character so carismatic that the Nintendo thinks thats is a good idea to make him be present in as much as possible game of Mario (and other games, 'cause if you look inside in your memories, Zelda Between World, there is a character that looks like a lot), if not, playable.
I think he is such a nice character that i would play with him in Mario Wonder, if the invencibility was not a required thing.
Plot twist Nabbit is actually Koopa Kid from Mario Party
Nabbit is quite sus.
Thanks for the info! Out of curiosity: does Toadsworth have any alibis? It's a weird thought, but...
-He apparently keeps tabs on Mario, but will also team up with him to fight bowser
-Seemingly just has fun as a thief, might not need the actual cash
-Toadsworth was there for Bowser Jr.'s original appearance and might've been inspired by the mask
Flimsy evidence, I admit, but it'd mean that Toadsworth has actually been in every game that Nabbit was in.
I’d entertain this but I think Nintendo never thinks that far ahead. Maybe they’ll surprise me one day 😂
That Nabbit looks a lot like Ravio can't be a coincidence.
So if Ravio is not connected to Mario, then there is another obvious explanation for that: Their designs were inspired by the same source. Now I'm only familiar with moon rabbits in Japanese mythology (who tend to pop up in Mario games, unrelated to Nabbit), but if Japan has mysterious purple rabbits that hoard items, it would explain a lot.
Yeah, for example Chain Chomp was originally designed to be a Zelda character but debuted on the Mario side because the concept art was shared with the teams. Wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case here too
touhou moment
Who else want more original characters to appear in future Mario games
Nabbit is basically the cat woman (morality wise) of the mario universe. Lol
Because Nabbit's bandana is more neat looking than Bowser Jr's, my headcanon is that Nabbit is a famous theif and Jr is such a big fan he copied Nabbit's bandana
There’s also a Kirby character that I get confused for Nabbit as well. I’ve been playing Kirby Air Ride and it’s an event where this creature has stolen items in a sack
I believe the character you just described goes by the name Tac.
3:56 bro doesn't realize it wouldn't have been Red Toad it would have been Toadette
Nabbit really feels like one of those youtubers who get into a scandal, and then suddenly they're everywhere and everyone you know is talking about them like you're supposed to have known them this whole time. He really has "Who the fuck is dream" energy to me lol
Nabbit looks like a fusion between Waluigi and a Rabbit from Rayman raving rabbids
Believe it or not, that’s an actual character called Bwaluigi
I like to think that Nabbit is a ex-member of Bowser’s Army. Who was just a bit too mischievous and got discharged. And my guess as to why he has Jr’s Bandana, was that he yoinked it as soon as he was getting kicked out of Bowser’s Castle, leaving Bowser and or Jr to make a new one.
Also i like Nabbit, a lot. I don’t think the mystery as to who he really is will ever get solved, but i personally like it that way.
Is it just me who LOVES Nabbit? One of my favourite Mario characters
Its funny because before his return in Wonder i was joking to myself how they just milked Nabbit during the Wii U era and just left him in an alley once the switch came out. But lo and be higgiyy hold
I thought Nabbit was just a part of the Nintendo + Ubisoft deal
I'm Nabbit
In that case, I hit you fireballs and catch you for an item.
Gimme that P-Corn!
Love a new video from the only youtuber answering the REAL questions
I think they're pushing him into the mainstream. It's a bit like how koopa troopa isn't the main character of mario kart but he's in (almost) every game.
Nintendo will do anything but put Waluigi in a mainline Mario game
bro the purple island legit scared me when i was little
I think the purple toad house has shown up before Nabbit? Clearing NSMB on DS would have such a house where you can change the bottom wallpaper.
The best Mario character of course
I heard of a theory somewhere that Nabbit actually stole Bowser Juniors bandanna. If you look at Juniors bandanna the mouth looks like it was drawn on with crayons while with Nabbits bandanna it looks printed on. So basically, Nabbit stole his bandanna and Junior decided to make a new one.
That's the cleanest hypothesis I've seen explaining it.
Scott the Woz just made a video about the year of Luigi, and said that the reason for nabbit not using power-ups and not taking damage in Luigi U is most likely a cost-cutting technique so that they can 1. reuse a model that was already used and animated in Mario U and 2. not have to add new models for each power-up and for shrinking when taking damage... blew my mind to hear that and it makes a lot of sense! [the video is on his side channel Scott's Stash if interested]
Fun fact, Nabbit and Yoshi while both are invincible, there’s reason for choosing either one, because they both have different invincibility
Yoshi has the tongue and flutter jump, but they still take hitstun from enemies, unlike nabbit who doesn’t get knocked down
Mario Wonder: "Nabbit isn't an enemy or an ally, just someone keeping a close eye on Mario and his friends"
The main red toad is actually playable in other games, such as Mario Maker 2 and Mario 3D World, but for some reason they decided to change his color. And no, the Blue Toads between the New Super Mario Bros series and 3D World aren't the same.
I don't understand why he got a lego mini figure before more recognizable characters like birdo
4:57 In game it's said they're meant to be used "if you're struggling with a course"
"Nabbit isn't an ally or an enemy, just someone keeping an eye on Mario and his friends..." -one Super Mario Bros. Wonder loading screen (don't quote me)
Fun fact: In Bowser Jr's Journey, you get to battle Nabbit but he will never join Jr's troop *UNLESS* you use Ludwig's Negotiate ability to talk him into it. So yeah, Luigi probably just promised him extra snacks if he helps save the day.
There is a loading screen tip in mario wonder about nabbit:
"Nabbit isn't an enemy or an ally really... he's just there to keep an eye on mario and his friends"
New Super Mario.Bros Wonder!
4:28 NSMB Wii, NSMB 2, NSMB U NSL U and NSMB U Deluxe are having a party then NSMB shows up and asked "Am I invited?"
All the other titles just look at NSMB and just laughed and said "Sorry Bro we forgot you existed."
I didn't like how to took a 4th spot so you're forced to use an easy character like Toadette was for Deluxe, but now that he's an optional character, I think he's great for beginners, with his bandana maybe not just being a thing thieves wear but relating to Bowser Jr who is a child, like the players using him, especially since it's a bib for Jr.
It is curious though why Bowser Jr draws his on when Nabbit has a printed one implying either Nabbit is older and copied but improved his bandana or Jr copied Nabbit's by drawing his design. Clearly a thief on his own side being a villain and a hero or just neutral and stealing for himself because he can. Love though how I just learnt the secret Toad house is his, and the records there even being explained as him spying on and researching Mario and his friends. Why is he so interested?
Being Bowser Jr would have made sense once until you notice design differences, because of how he does like Mario and has worked with him to save the day, and is more of a mischievous guy rather than a bad guy, but I love the mystery that he could be a Toad, a rabbit or just anyone else old or new, good or bad or neutral, but has an interest in Mario whether for good or bad.
Shame Nintendo probably won't go into this ever. Or maybe now that they're moving in a newer direction bringing back rpgs and being creative with design and bringing back characters, we could see more...
Also teaming up with Mario to help or to study him is interesting, because he notes how many times he's been caught by Mario too, which sure is for the player but it's the most character related lore we've gotten recently even if it took the Olympic spin off game to make us aware that the records are for him as much as it was for us,.
He's a rabbit that nabs things. That's as deep as his background development goes.
At least toad himself is playable in 3D world. (Why he’s not playable in Wonder I don’t know…)
I really get a kick out of there being a nabbit lobby among the nindeno higher ups
I hope nothing is ever specified about Nabbit ever. I want him to remain a handsome mystery.
Great work man. Funny looking little guy, the way he runs with the knapsack over his shoulder makes me chuckle haha. I'm sure we'll see him in a future smash bros installment as a fighter too
You mean as a fighter or something else?
@@Schlagageul A fighter. Is he a item summon in one of the newer ones or something?
I have no evidence for this, but I like to think Nabbit is a Shy Guy without the cloak, and I bet he has a bandana because he’s still a little shy on the inside which is why he sneaks around rather then fighting
Babe get up new Mentok video
Lol im just binging while doing my school 0:49
I love Nabbit so much. I just wish he was not a easy mode all the time
Nabbit is like Gray Fox
Neither Enemy nor Friend
Mushroom log #1 :
*Indistinct voice* "Oh... Is that so? Ahem... Oh sorry, was this on? Erm, anyways, what are the reports of purple toad we have so far?" Well we already know he is... unique from the rest of us. Ever since the princess banished him there have been reports of missing items in toad houses. He's a very sneaky one. The items stolen are usually Yoshi eggs and mushrooms, sometimes even 1ups. Only two eggs have been retrieved during a chase with purple toad when he dropped them. The Yoshi's born from those eggs were perfectly fine. Another incident is when our guards saw the purple toad sneaking into the castle, he was burned by a fire flower, but came back via a 1up. We don't know how many he has, but he is obviously a threat to us. After the castle break-in incident, we never saw purple toad again. The only other suspect we have is someone dressed up as a purple rabbit, always carrying a bag of items. They have also stolen various items from toads, and for some damn reason, Mario and his friends let that purple bunny in on their gang! What a bunch of koopacrap. One thing is for sure, that Nabbit has to be the purple toad. I am sure of that.
Incident
A body of a yellow toad was found in a yellow toad house, the body was missing flesh in various spots and the bandana they always wore was torn off. The yellow toad was one of our tape loggers. He was working on the purple toad case. He had suspected a strange fellow named Nabbit had been Purple Toad. 3 days after he had stated that, his body was found. All of the items in his house were missing. Only a small piece of purple fabric was retrieved.
In fairness not all yohsi eggs have yoshis in them
my headcanon about the bowser jr similarities are that nabbit stole bowser jr's original mask but bjr liked it too much so he drew one himself, which would explain why nabbits' is neater and bjr's looks like it was drawn with crayon
I've always been fond of Nabbit.
When my mom first saw Nabbit, she called him “the funny purple rabbit” and she was 100% correct
Nabbit is a great guy he isn't hurting the Yoshis he's running a daycare here
I thought at first that Nabbit might have been a character that came from the times that the Mario universe and Rabbids universe crossed paths... However, Rabbids have different eyes than Nabbit does, and other on-line sources say that Nabbit is "not to be confused with Rabbids"...
Those games were released after Nabbit’s debut so not likely
Nabbit is me. I exist everywhere. Time and space mean nothing to multiversal being such as myself. Especially when there's killing to be done...
I'm outside
Aye, Nabbit is the GOAT. Hes the best. He elevates games to perfection
You all never owned a Wii U Nabbit has so much meaning
I’m at least glad they were able to clarify that the isolated island in NSMBU was indeed his home base.
Speaking of Ravio, im surprised the youtube channel Death battle hasn't made a video of Nabbit vs Ravio yet
In Star Fox Guard, there's an enemy that actually is a reference to Nabbit. You shoot him down and you get goodies.
He was a cool new side "villain" in nsmbu, playing as him was neat in luigi u even if he's just an easy mode, and I'm glad he's back in Wonder. I love his design and hope he continues to show up in side games like Mario Kart/Party/etc... though I'd like it if he could use powerups and the invincibility could be disabled
At first I thought Nabbit was a toad on disguise... The toad would nab items then sell said items at the toad house...
But the Mario wonder... The Nabbit eyes blink... So that made me rethink my theory.
5:40 "you caught nabbit!"
It would have been nice for it to actually have been bowser Junior in disguise just wanting to steal from the toads but then just becoming an ally to mario. "Begrudgingly"
He lives in a Toad house and runs fast (which is the defining feature of Toad in 3D World) so I'd say he's some kind of Toad