By the time you’re reading this, SMG4, the series that led to the rise of Glitch Productions, will be over. The last episode will have aired, and it’s creator, Luke, will likely dedicate his time to running the studio he and his brother created. As for me, I will have either watched the finale, am working towards it, or will be planning to watch all his videos as part of my New Year’s resolution. At this point, though, I have seen enough of SMG4’s videos to know what his characters are like. And there are a lot of characters. However, there are a handful that I feel are the most important. Some are parodies of existing ones, while others are wholly original. And I’m hoping that this might convince you to give his show a chance.

That, and I just wanna talk about them.

Mario

The fat Italian plumber himself and one of the two main characters of SMG4. While he’s capable of doing heroic deeds like his game, film, and show counterparts, this version of Mario is an absolute moron. He’s constantly spouting off memes, can be the cause of just as many problems as he is the solution, and is obsessed with spaghetti to the point that his favorite pastime is rolling around in it naked. Unfortunately, he’s also the anchor being for the SMG4verse, so he can’t be replaced, just reined in by SMG4 and the others.

SMG4

The other main character of the show and Luke’s in-universe avatar, SMG4 stands for two things: SuperMarioGlitchy4 and SuperMemeGuardian4. He used to look like Mario but eventually got redesigned to reflect Luke’s appearance. In the beginning, he served as a straight man to the chaos of his universe, but after getting used to it, he started making memes and videos for the channel that bears his name. It’s eventually revealed that he’s meant to serve as a protector of the universe and of the Meme Life Cycle as they fall in and out of relevance.

Luigi

The other half of the Mario brothers and one of the few Nintendo characters to remain consistently relevant. The SMG4verse version of Luigi isn’t much different from his canon version, with the biggest changes being his dubious sexuality and (somehow) being an even bigger coward. Easily the nicest person in the gang, his kindness has gotten him taken advantage of in the past. Even worse, he often has to rein in his brother’s stupidity. Despite this, he’s loyal to his friends and brother, no matter how much he may suffer for it.

SMG3

The Plankton to SMG4’s Mr. Krabs, SMG3 is 4’s evil(ish) counterpart and rival. For much of his existence, his only goal was to get rid of SMG4 and gain all his fans and fame, only to fail until he was banished to the Internet Graveyard, a place where dead memes and trends live. There, he learned he was the second of the Meme Guardians meant to oversee the Meme Life Cycle, a revelation that led him to bury the hatchet with 4. These days, he runs a cafe selling coffee and bombs and being 4’s frenemy.

The Other Classic IP Characters

Since SMG4 started out as a parody of Mario, most of its cast consisted of parodies of the franchise’s characters or reskins of Mario. As time went on and the show started introducing more characters, the ones from existing IPs started to fade into the background. The worst case being Princess Peach, who went from a love interest for Mario to a nagging authority figure. Then her castle was sunk underground with her trapped inside of it, making her go crazy from rage. Don’t worry; she gets better.

Fishy Boopkins & Bob

Originally a Spike and Garo from the Mario and Zelda games before getting redesigned, Boopkins and Bob are the pair of friends that get along despite having different personalities. Boopkins is naive, friendly, and obsessed with anime. Bob is crass, self-centered, and cares more about money and women. The two of them can get on each others nerves as easily as they can annoy the rest of the group, but they still remain friends. When they are at odds, it’s about whose waifus are better or because Bob is being a jerk.

Meggy Spletzer

Originally introduced as an Inkling from the Splatoon games, Meggy was intended to be a one-off character. But after meeting and befriending Mario, she proved so popular that the show added her to the main cast, becoming one of its most prominent members. This continued popularity would lead to her being redesigned as a human before culminating in her own spin-off series on Glitch, Sunset Paradise. Despite going through many traumatic experiences over the years, Meggy remains confident, outgoing, and one of Mario and SMG4’s best friends.

Chris and Swagmaster6969696969

Originally the stars of their own series, Chris and Swagmaster are two security guards who got assigned as partners. Since then, they’ve worked various jobs across the series, most of them involving fighting or violence in some regard. Chris is the straight man and does his best to keep them focused on whatever job they have, while Swag’s immaturity and love of violence often being the source of their problems. Despite this, the two are best friends and work well together, even if they’re sometimes at odds with the rest of the Gang.

Shroomy

The first character with a wholly original design, Shroomy is a Boy Scout, both literally and metaphorically. Nice and friendly to a fault, he may seem like a pushover, but looks are decieving. In the last, he was a merciless demon hunter, until brain damage he got from being bitten by Golden Freddy led to his current personality, much to the horror of his uncle, Doomguy. Yes, really! These days, his original personality will resurface as Anti-Shroomy, a psychotic being who won’t rest until anything that looks like a demon is dead. So, he’s dangerous

Saiko

Originally a character from a dating sim, Boopkins magically brought her to life in the hopes of having a girlfriend. When it didn’t work out, she demonstrated why her name is Saiko Bichitaru and became an absolute menace for a while. Eventually, though, she mellowed out, moved on, and accepted her new life, becoming a member of the Glitchy Gang. She hasn’t gotten rid of her violent tendencies, though. She’s just channeled them into protecting her friends. Next to Meggy, she’s probably the best fighter in the group.

Tari

Introduced to the series as a means of promoting her then-upcoming show, Meta Runner (which happens to be the first show Glitch ever made), Tari is a very shy and sweet girl who hates violence…in real life. She’s a super-talented gamer girl who taught Mario how to beat SMG4 Smash, earning her a place in the gang. Her new friends often encourage her to become more confident in herself, with Meggy even taking it upon herself to help her become braver. Hurting her is a surefire way to get the others mad at someone.

Axol

Born in Inkopolis like Meggy, Axol grew up ostracized for loving anime. This prompted him to move to Japan, where he became the world’s greatest manga artist using a magic pen that could bring anything he drew to life. When Peach temporarily banned anime in the Mushroom Kingdom, he helped the gang unban it before becoming one of their friends. Sadly, his pen was eventually broken, causing him to fall off. After that…I can’t say without spoilers.

Melony Melone

Originally a watermelon that Mario made as a stand-in for Meggy (don’t ask), Melony gained a human form thanks to a Fierce Deity Mask and became the object of Axol’s affections. Despite her innocent nature and sleepiness, she was readily accepted into the gang and becomes good friends with everyone. More importantly, it’s discovered that she got all the powers of her mask, making her a demigodess and one of their strongest members. She was eventually inspired by Axol to become a manga artist herself, and shows great talent for it.

Karen

A relatively latecomer to the series, Karen is a single mother of three who works multiple jobs to provide for her family, with Mario and the others regularly causing trouble for her. That’s it. That’s all there is to her character. It’s not like she used to be an assassin for hire or has a dark past to her! And if she did, she wouldn’t want that to bring harm to her kids!

Mr. Puzzles

Alluded to and hinted at for a year before his introduction, Mr. Puzzles serves as the main antagonist for the series from 2024 up to the grand finale, and I think can be best described as Bill Cipher if Bill Cipher was obssessed with TV. As a kid, he never had any friends and his dad never supported his big dreams, so he turned to TV. He grew so obsessed with it, he replaced his head with a TV and set out to become the greatest producer in TV history, using the SMG4 crew as the unwilling cast for his shows. After being defeated, he kept coming back as a recurring enemy, but he also got fleshed out as it’s slowly revealed that deep down, he was just tired of being lonely.

Well, that’s it. You’re pretty much caught up to speed. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get ready to start my binge.