Announced at E3 2001, Mario (マリオ, Mario) is a starter character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Mario debuted in Donkey Kong on the arcade, and has been considered the main video game mascot for Nintendo ever since. His design is based on Super Mario 64. Mario currently ranks 15th place in the tier list, because of being considered an "all-around" character. He is well-balanced, possessing average power in most of his attacks. However, his predictable recovery and above-average match-ups lock him in the E Tier.