Wario originally envisioned as a German character
Posted on December 14, 2016 by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News
Wario has some interesting origins that some may be unaware of.
In the Japanese version of Mario Kart 64 and Mario Party 1/2, Thomas Spindler voices the character and speaks one line of German. According to Spindler, Wario’s premise “was that of a German character and those responsible for the voice-overs at Nintendo back then intended him to speak German.”
Spindler actually wrote about this in a YouTube video last year. However, it wasn’t until this week that fans spotted the comment. Glowsquid translated his remarks as follows:
“This is 100% correct. Wario speaks German: he says (or rather, *I* say) ‘So ein Mist!’ The recording was done in a studio of the former Nintendo head office in Kyoto (not the new Nintendo premises in Kamitobaguchi), under the direction of Mr. Takashi Tezuka. Back then, I worked on the script for another Nintendo project with my French friend and colleague Julien Bardakoff (who voiced Toad/Kinopio). My company T.S. Word Co.Ltd. also translated and edited the German script for Star Fox which can be verified in the credits of Star Fox 64. The concept behind Wario was that of a German character and those responsible for the voice-overs at Nintendo back then intended him to speak German. I hope that this resolves the issue once and for all.”
