The Super Mario RPG Remake has eliminated Mario's peace sign gesture

In the Nintendo Switch remake of Super Mario RPG, the iconic peace sign that Mario used to make at the conclusion of a battle has been omitted and substituted with a modest wave of his cap.

As Nintendo initially unveiled the Super Mario RPG remake, it appeared to be a remarkably faithful rendition of the original game (despite a controversial art style) that aimed to preserve the essence of the 1996 classic. However, as we approach its release, fans are increasingly noticing various alterations, such as the renaming of Mallow's Psychopath ability to "Thought Peek".

A notable recent alteration observed in the remake is the absence of Mario's mischievous little peace sign gesture upon winning a battle. As highlighted by Twitter user SuperMarioOOC85, Mario now opts to remove his cap and wave it in the air instead. Although the removal of Mario's peace sign can actually be seen in one of the initial game trailers, it seems that many fans have only recently taken notice of this detail, as evidenced by the significant 13,000 likes on SuperMarioOOC85's tweet.

The removal of Mario's peace sign from the game may appear to be a peculiar and insignificant change, but it carries some historical significance and has been occurring within the series for quite some time now. Mario was known to frequently make that peace sign in various games, particularly in Super Mario 64 and the original version of Super Mario RPG. However, as time went on, Nintendo gradually discontinued this gesture in other games and even omitted it from the DS release of Super Mario 64.

Based on a 1999 interview with Miyamoto, which was shared by Nintendo World Report in 2014, one of the factors influencing this change was Miyamoto's belief that the peace sign had become excessively prevalent in certain Mario games. He expressed concern that this gesture might give the impression that Mario was solely associated with making peace signs after winning. Miyamoto also mentioned in the interview that he aimed to remove it in order to shed Nintendo's reputation as being solely for a younger audience.

While that interview took place quite some time ago, it does provide an explanation for Nintendo's decision to alter the victory pose of the plumber in the Super Mario RPG remake. The peace sign gesture is no longer considered part of the character's identity and was actually phased out by Nintendo in the past. It's just that the occurrence of a Super Mario RPG remake after such a long time has made this alteration appear as a significant and fresh change.