Kevin Afghani has announced that he will be taking over as the voice of Mario and Luigi. Afghani will take over as the voice of Nintendo’s flagship mascot with Super Mario Bros. Wonder out October 20.
In August, Charles Martinet stepped down from voicing Mario into the role of “Mario Ambassador.” He voiced Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi and their baby versions across more than 100 titles for over 20 years. While his iconic voice will be missed, it’s understandable that the 67-year-old Martinet would pass on the mantle.
Afghani confirmed he would take on the role earlier today. He is best known for roles in Dragon Ball R&R — an unofficial fan-made audio parody — and Genshin Impact. However, Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be Afghani’s highest profile gig yet. His relative obscurity (and lack of material to compare) will likely help fans adjust to Afghani in the iconic role.
Initially, Nintendo planned to reveal Afghani as Mario’s voice in the credits of its upcoming title. This led to massive speculation and rumors among fans. Earlier this week, VGC reported that a datamined demo revealed Afghani as Mario’s new voice actor. This likely prompted Nintendo to reveal Afghani as Mario’s new voice earlier than planned.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder will release for the Nintendo Switch on October 20.