American voice actor Kevin Afghani is the new voice of Mario in the next Super Mario games. Afghani replaces 67-year-old Charles Martinet and will appear in the next Super Mario game as Mario and Luigi.
Kevin Afghani confirmed the news via X/Twitter. The man thanked Nintendo for the opportunity he was given and also looked ahead to the next Nintendo game in which he will appear: Super Mario Bros. Miracle. That game will be available in stores on October 20.
Afghani follows in the footsteps of Charles Martinet: Mario’s original voice actor. The 67-year-old Martinet announced his retirement in August and is now ‘Mario ambassador’. Martinet had been the voice of Mario since 1991. Then he performed the character with his voice at trade shows and conventions. In 1996, Martinet’s voice was used for the first time in a major game: Super Mario 64. In subsequent years, the voice actor also provided the voices of Luigi, Waluigi and Wario in the Mario games.