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Toad is the tetartagonist of the Mario franchise. He is an anthropomorphic mushroom and long-time friend of Princess Peach from the Super Mario games. His first appearance is Super Mario Bros. (1985).
Appearance
Toad is a walking mushroom who has a white mushroom with red spots. He wear a blue vest, diaper-like pants and large brown shoes.
Personality
Toad is often portrayed as cheerful almost to the point of childishness; his official artworks often show him with a wide smile on his face. He is also excitable and prone to panic, and is often shown running around frantically. Toad is also sometimes seen as somewhat of a coward, although he seems to be actually aware of his own cowardice. Despite this, Toad still manages to be brave when the need truly calls for it, and often helps Mario on his multiple adventures. In some Mario Kart images and various Mario media (such as the comic series), Toad has also been portrayed as accident-prone or simply unlucky.
While Toad does occasionally get upset, and has been described as an impatient character, he is often kind and polite, generally rooting for the wellbeing for just about anyone who he calls his friend. This is sometimes contrasted by some instances such as his appearance in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, where Toad shows something of a sarcastic streak.
In some Mario media where another character acts as Princess Peach's caretaker (such as Wooster in the Nintendo Comic System), Toad has a more active role in the story; in these cases, he is depicted as being rather naïve and a bit on the selfish side. However, he is also quite rash, which often leads him into trouble and forces him to adjust his attitude and fix the problems he unintentionally causes. In the Valiant Comics series, Toad is dedicated to his work as a mushroom retainer, drinking coffee from a cup that reads "World's Greatest Mushroom Retainer".
In Shitamachi Ninjō Gekijō, a Mario-themed virtual magazine for the Satellaview, Toad has a perverted personality, although this is because of the magazine's adult humor. In particular, Toad constantly flirts with Princess Peach and ends up getting in trouble with Mario after he catches the pair having sex.
Powers and Abilities
- Superhuman Strength: Toad is able to lift heavy objects with ease, as shown in Super Mario Bros. 2 where he can quickly lift a turnip from the ground.
- Superhuman Speed: As shown in Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario 3D World, Toad can run very fast.
- Vehicular Driver: In the Mario Kart spinoff series, Toad is skilled at driving karts and bikes.
- Plant Manipulation: As shown in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Sports Mix, Toad is able to release spores from his mushroom cap as both a counterattack and shield. He is also able to use his spores to release huge mushrooms from the ground as shown in Mario Sports Mix.
- Pyrokinesis: As shown in Super Mario 3D World, and the animated TV show, Toad is able to shoot fireballs when he obtains a Fire Flower. In Super Mario Strikers Charged, Toad is able to perform a kick shot that ignites the ball.
- Cryokinesis: In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Bros. U, and New Super Luigi U, Toad is able to shoot iceballs when he obtains either an Ice Flower or Penguin Suit.
