Super Mario (Kodansha manga)

The Super Mario manga by Kazuki Motoyama, also known as KC Mario, was serialized by Kodansha in their manga anthology Comic BomBom from December 1988 through September 1998, with side-chapters published in sister publication Deluxe BomBom, spanning a total of 183 stories. The manga features original characters, some meta jokes, and occasional references to Japanese pop culture. The manga was never published under a single consistent title, instead changing its title to tie-in with the latest Mario-related game being adapted at the time, starting from Super Mario Bros. 3 all the way up to Super Mario 64. The manga ceased publication due to Kodansha losing the Mario to competing company Shogakukan (publisher of another Mario manga titled Super Mario-Kun) and the series has never been reprinted since then.

A total of 43 collected volumes or tankōbon were published under the KC Deluxe imprint along with two collections of 4-panel strips, with the first few pages of each volume often containing a mini strategy guide and commentary on levels from the games the stories are based on. However, five of the stories, including the final chapter, titled "Forever Mario", were not collected in any of the volumes.