Mario Tennis Aces: Top 5 Best Characters to Use

Bowser

Top 5 Best Characters in Mario Tennis Aces

Bowser is not for those with slow reflexes. Fairly inaccessible for rookie players, people who have mastered the nuances of Mario Tennis will flourish with the raw power behind his shots. Funnily enough, despite his dreadful foot speed, matches that involve Bowser will typically move much faster, with rallies rocketing back at the opponent quick as a flash.

Bowser’s specialty is in making opponents run so that he doesn’t have to; he can hang back on the baseline and send out fearsome charged shots the likes of which nobody else short of Chain Chomp could match. If you’re truly courageous, he’s a blast to put right at the net, because his large size also gives him considerable reach – but watch out for those lobs, they are like Kryptonite for the big guy.

If he’s on the defensive and forced to move around, it’s basically a lost effort, as he will burn through his energy fast and likely end up conceding anyway, so it’s sometimes preferable to just let individual points go if you can afford them.

Waluigi

Top 5 Best Characters in Mario Tennis Aces

A.k.a. the guy who isn’t in Smash Bros Ultimate.

Waluigi boasts incredible reach, thanks to what Nintendo once described as ‘spaghetti-like limbs’, which means that opponents aren’t going to get balls past him without a lot of effort. Because you won’t have to be playing a lot of catch up and burning your energy meter with zone speed, you can instead use that energy offensively, punishing the opponent’s racket with power shots whenever you please.

Should you have to dip into that energy pool with zone speed, you’ll find that Waluigi is capable of closing the distance quite easily, meaning that you won’t have to use up as much energy in the process. Feel free to play from wherever you like on the court with Waluigi, as he can handle any role he’s placed in with ease.

Koopa Troopa

Top 5 Best Characters in Mario Tennis Aces

Koopa Troopa may be known as one of the weakest minions in Bowser’s army, but put a tennis racket in its hands, and it can conquer the dreaded Mario with ease. Koopa Troopa is not only the first DLC player added to the roster, but is also the fastest character in the game. This can make it a menace to get anything past, and allows it to play a risky style close to the net to compensate for its lacking power.

Its impressive acceleration can make it unsuitable for beginners, but more experienced players will revel in the options it gives you. It can chase down lobs that would otherwise nullify its aggressive style, and in doubles, it thrives as a back court cleanup option. Koopa Troopa’s trick shot has good range, and though it can be a little hard to control at first, once you master it, you’ll find yourself capable of hitting all kinds of shots and boosting your energy meter quickly.

Bowser Jr.

Top 5 Best Characters in Mario Tennis Aces

Oh goodness gracious, can Bowser Jr. be a pain to deal with. Like Waluigi, Bowser Jr. is a defensive specialist, meaning that it can be nigh impossible to put him away properly. The range of the Koopa Clown Car makes it so that nothing is out of his reach, and his trick shot is probably the best in the game, allowing him to build up his energy meter quickly and frequently.

His drop shot is a threat to characters who prefer to strike from afar, but because of his capability to return practically anything, he can play from wherever he wants. If you want to rush the net, you can. If you want to hang back and pepper the opponent with charge shots, you can do that, too – and considering Bowser Jr.’s penchant for filling the energy meter, that is probably the preferred playstyle.

Boo

Top 5 Best Characters in Mario Tennis Aces

Odds are, if you’ve played any of the online tournaments in Mario Tennis Aces, you will have bumped into a Boo or two. Or twenty. Or an entire tourney where Boo is the only character used. This is because he possesses the most wild shot in the game, and if you’re not prepared for it, you can be left flailing at thin air.

Boo has held the ‘tricky’ distinction since the original Mario Tennis on the N64, typically reserved for flying characters, and with a curve on their shots that can be hard to return. It had never seemed quite so exaggerated until Aces brought it to light, with balls bending in a manner so fierce, David Beckham would be impressed. Because of this, Boo dominates as a back court specialist, launching volleys and then cackling with glee as they veer off-course.

Additionally, Boo’s ability to teleport means that it also excels as a defensive specialist, capable of making last-minute returns that other characters wouldn’t have a chance of catching. The only way to nullify Boo is by playing aggressively near the net to catch its shots before they bounce, but clever Boo players will try to space you out with lobs if you’re not careful. Fortunately, since Boo is so broken at this point, most Boo players are not clever – watch them fall apart when you punish them with drop shots, it’s actually quite hilarious.