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Nintendo Changes Name of Character in Japanese Version of Super Mario Bros. Movie

Nintendo's Japanese Twitter account announced on Thursday that the company is changing the name of the character "Blackie" from the Wrecking Crew NES game to "Spike" to match the U.S. version. Notably, the character plays a key role in The Super Mario Bros. Movie film, which the Japanese name change will also apply to.

ファミリーコンピュータ向けソフト『レッキングクルー』などに登場するキャラクター「ブラッキー」の名称を、欧米での名称と同じ「スパイク」に変更いたします。なお、2023年4月28日に公開される『ザ・スーパーマリオブラザーズ・ムービー』での名称も、同様に「スパイク」となっています。 pic.twitter.com/HhTXEOmzxn

— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) April 20, 2023

In the original 1985 NES game, Foreman Spike is the boss of Mario and Luigi. He is usually depicted as a man with a dark beard (blue in the original game and black in later appearances). In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, he is the former employer of the Mario brothers and plays an antagonistic role.

This obscure character has only enjoyed a handful of appearances throughout the history of the Mario franchise; the new film marks his first physical appearance in over 21 years since the Mobile Golf Game Boy Color game, which was exclusive to Japan. Although the character is depicted as a fair-skinned man, the word "Blackie" has a history of being used as a racial slur in English-speaking countries. If there was ever a time to make a name change, now would be it.

The film opened in the U.S. and in over 60 markets worldwide on April 5. It will open on April 28 in Japan.

[Via Eurogamer]