The Unluckiest Nintendo Characters, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Glass Joe is designed to be an easy opponent in Punch Out!! to encourage players to keep going.
• Olimar’s unlucky vacation leads him to a planet of Pikmin in a test of survival.
• Princess Peach is constantly being targeted and kidnapped by Bowser.

No matter how hard they try, some Nintendo characters just cannot seem to catch a break. Whether it’s a villain whose plans are foiled every time they try to take over the world, or an ally of the protagonist who always finds themselves in dire scenarios, it can be clear when a character is running low on luck.

Though having little to no luck is obviously bad for the characters, it can also end up making them endearing or even sympathetic in some ways, as it makes players want to root for them to succeed. Still, these individuals below have had a bad time throughout their adventures, which could have been made easier if they had a shred of luck on their side.

8 Glass Joe

Glass Joe Is A Literal Punching Bag In The Punch Out Games

• First Appearance: Punch-Out!!

It is said that Glass Joe, the first opponent Little Mac faces in the first Punch-Out!! game was designed to be easy enough to encourage players to spend more on the arcade machine to take on stronger opponents. This may be all well and good for the player, but Glass Joe himself is put in a rather unfortunate position, given that the weak and naive Frenchman doesn’t want to be fighting in the first place.

It also doesn’t help his case that every fighter in Punch-Out!!, such as King Hippo and Von Kaider, just so happens to be absurdly big and strong fighters who could knock Joe out with a single punch. Somebody’s got to act as the tutorial opponent, so it’s unlucky for Glass Joe that he has assumed the position for so many games.

7 Olimar

One Unlucky Incident Sends Olimar On A Wild Adventure

All Olimar wanted to do was enjoy a nice relaxing intergalactic vacation, but his trip is cut short when a comet crashes into his ship and plunges him towards a mysterious planet full of small creatures known as Pikmin. Things go from bad to worse though when Olimar discovers the planet’s oxygen is poisonous, meaning he only has 30 days to restore his ship and escape before his oxygen tank lets up.

Though the Pikmin he runs into are willing to help him, Olimar’s journey to becoming a hero wasn’t because he wanted to be one, it was due to a vacation gone wrong. The same scenario manages to happen again in Pikmin 4 where Olimar gets dropped onto a mysterious planet which he must then try to escape from, as if the first time wasn’t enough.

6 AZ

AZ’s Disheveled Look And Personality Makes More Sense When Learning About His Journey Thus Far

• First Appearance: Pokemon X and Y

When AZ appears near the end of Pokemon X and Y, he seems to be little more than a mysterious traveler looking for their next battle. In actuality, this man was once the king of Kalos, but a slew of unfortunate events turned him into the man players meet in-game. After losing his parents at a young age, AZ confided in his Floette, the Pokemon gifted to him by his mother.

After being forced to enlist in a war, the Pokemon was taken from him, causing AZ to create an ultimate weapon that would destroy both sides in anger. Despite already being dealt a heavy hand, AZ then comes to find out that Floette disapproves of how he has acted, turning him into a shell of his former self until he can make peace with his beloved Pokemon after so many years of misfortune.

5 Princess Zelda (Breath Of The Wild)

Everything That Could Of Went Wrong Did Go Wrong For The Princess Of Hyrule When Ganon Invaded

• First Appearance: The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Each iteration of Zelda ends up having some dire luck in their respective games, but the princess seen in Breath of the Wild might have the worst of them all. Before Link awakens from his slumber, he, and multiple other guardians, were appointed to act as protectors of the princess, who was busy trying to awaken the magic needed to fend off the malicious Ganon once and for all.

Unfortunately, though, Ganon not only decimated the land of Hyrule but also possessed the Divine Beasts and killed Zelda’s guardians, forcing her to seal Link and herself away to escape the chaos. With a bit of luck, Ganon’s “Great Calamity” may have been prevented if someone had managed to catch him off guard, or if the Divine Beasts withheld his powers, but it all came crashing down on the shoulders of Zelda.

4 Luigi

Luigi Is Stuck In The Unfortunate Position Of Always Being Second Fiddle To His Brother

• First Appearance: Mario Bros

Throughout the Mario games, Luigi tends to be given the short straw during his adventures. One moment he’s being led to a fancy hotel only to find out it’s haunted and packed full of creepy ghosts, while the next, he’s being imprisoned in a mirror by King Boo.

It’s ironic Luigi gets thrust into such random and terrifying scenarios considering he’s a fairly shy and timid character, making him extremely unlucky. There’s also the fact that Luigi happens to be related to the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, meaning he always plays second fiddle, no matter how hard he tries to prove himself.

3 Groose

Groose Has No Luck When Trying To Win Over Zelda Or Humiliate His Rival

• First Appearance: The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Groose is a character introduced in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword who is incredibly jealous of Link, and more specifically, his relationship with Zelda. Despite going to extreme lengths to try and gain Zelda’s attention, Groose never has any luck, and even by the end of the game, he still fails to become close to her.

Groose also manages to accidentally fall head-first onto the surface where he is stuck with nobody else but Link, his arch-rival. Even when Groose tries to cheat his way to victory during the Wing Ceremony, where he can be seen hurling eggs at Link, he still fails to cramp the protagonist’s style, with this being just one showcase of bad luck among many.

2 Samus

Ever Since She Was Young, Samus Has Been Plagued With Bad Luck

• First Appearance: Metroid

It’s remarkable Samus is still going strong as a galactic bounty hunter considering the sheer amount of bad luck she has experienced throughout her many escapades. Samus’ parents were taken from her in the blink of an eye when she was still a child at the hands of the malicious Ridley. However, even when Samus feels that she’s taken down Ridley for good, he always re-appears in a different form, ensuring Samus never gets the opportunity to make things right and forgive herself for her weakness all those years ago.

Even when Samus manages to find some solace in her bond with the Metroid Baby, the two of them are forced to separate once the baby gets caught up in a laser beam attack, leaving Samus all by her lonesome once again. Being a bounty hunter is no walk in the park, but saying that Samus has had a pretty hard time of it would be a huge understatement.

1 Princess Peach

Peach Has Had Such Bad Luck With Avoiding Bowser That Some Fans Think She Secretly Wants To Be Taken

• First Appearance: Super Mario Bros

Most people would assume that, after years of being kidnapped by the fearsome koopa known as Bowser, Peach would have set up some bodyguards or even learned a few fighting skills to keep herself safe. However, in almost every Mario game, Peach always becomes the main target of Bowser’s schemes and is taken away in his airship, prompting Mario to come and rescue her.

Even if Peach wanted to try and fend off Bowser, he always rocks up with a new set of technology and groups of goons to switch up his plan of action, making it difficult for Peach to react. With a little bit of luck on her side, maybe Peach would be able to avoid Bowser’s schemes, but seeing how frequently she gets taken, it’s clear lady luck isn’t something that Peach possesses. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where some fans theorize Peach wants to be taken, considering the amount of times it’s happened. However, it’s more likely the case that she simply has some rotten luck.