Castle characters and course residents

Who helps, challenges or rewards Mario throughout the castle.

Story and late-game spoilers.

7 characters · one picture per entry · open a picture for full size.

Character directory

The castle’s missing host

Princess Peach

Her invitation begins the adventure. Progress is measured through Power Stars and Bowser gates, not by finding a separate quest marker for every course.

Castle hints and occasional stars

Toads

Talk to residents as new floors open. Some provide more than dialogue, so revisiting the castle between courses can be worthwhile.

Camera operator

Lakitu

The camera is part of platforming preparation. Adjust it before a narrow jump rather than correcting your view while already falling.

Cannon access

Bob-omb Buddies

The friendly pink characters operate course cannons. Their appearance distinguishes them from hostile Bob-ombs; talk before searching for another way to open a hatch.

Race challenger

Koopa the Quick

His races require reaching the goal efficiently. Practise the route first and learn which shortcuts the challenge accepts.

Basement rabbit

Mips

Catching him can reward stars at different progress milestones. Cornering him and anticipating his movement is more reliable than chasing directly from behind.

Late completion reward

Yoshi

His castle-roof appearance belongs to the 120-star reward sequence. He is not a freely playable character in the original N64 campaign; the DS remake differs.