The Mario + Rabbids games are partly distinguished by arming the Mushroom Kingdom heroes, but it isn't the first time that Mario has used a gun. An obscure Mario anime beat the game to the punch by a few decades. Not only does it have that distinction, but it is also one of the most unusual pieces of Super Mario media that one could likely find.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was met with a fair amount of controversy when it was first announced. The Rabbids are rather divisive characters, so crossing them over with the Mario universe seemed questionable. However, the game turned out to be a surprising success. It took an absurd premise and ran with it, and the end result was a solid tactical RPG with plenty of fans. The change in reception was such that the sequel is highly anticipated by players, with Rayman's announcement as Sparks of Hope DLC only furthering the hype.
Apart from the crossover with the Rabbids, the biggest surprise of the game was the fact that Mario and his friends were equipped with guns, although they are more fantastical laser guns than realistic firearms. Although Mario has been using items since the days of Super Mario Bros., the closest thing to a weapon he has wielded outside the Super Smash Bros. series is a hammer. However, even with a weapon at his disposal, Mario's adventure is still heavily whimsical. However, there was another time when Mario held a gun, but never in a game. It took place in an anime that is about as obscure as the potentially dangerous Super Mario World knife.
Mario Once Used A Gun Long Before Mario + Rabbids
Super Mario Momotarō is a part of Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros., which is essentially a collection of animated storybooks that retold fairy tales with Mario characters. Super Mario Momotarō is the collection's version of the famous Momotarō folktale regarding a hero that was born from a peach. In the story, Mario plays the role of Momotarō as he gathers a group of friends to save Princess Peach from Bowser. Interestingly, Mario is raised by a pair of elderly Hammer Bros who are also Peach's parents in the story. The Amada Anime Series was never released out of Japan or re-released, making it even rarer than some obscure Nintendo Switch Online titles.
Before Mario sets out to save Peach, Peach's father gives Mario a gun to help him on his journey, and it comes into play during the final confrontation with Bowser. Although Mario never actually fires the gun, he does use it to intimidate Bowser into giving up and letting Peach go free. It should be noted that unlike Mario + Rabbids' laser guns, Mario's gun in Super Mario Momotarō is fairly realistic looking, and one would never expect to see such a weapon in a Mario game. Perhaps the fact that Mario never fires the gun is what made it acceptable to Nintendo, although without speaking to those behind the anime, one cannot be certain. The removal of Mario Kart Tour's gacha pipe shows Nintendo's willingness to respond to controversy but Mario's gun in 1989 appears to have made it through without a problem.
Super Mario Momotarō and Mario + Rabbids are both unique in very distinct ways. Even so, both of them manage to share one unexpected similarity in that they are the only Mario properties where the famous plumber uses a gun. Mario + Rabbids is still one of the more distinctive Mario spin-offs, but giving Mario a gun is not as unique as many may have believed, after all.
