The exclusion of Mario has a certain logic to it, as all of the featured characters star in significant anime franchises.
Plus, Nintendo is also a major stakeholder in the Pokémon series, and by extension adorable mascot Pikachu.
After some seriously high-profile involvement, Nintendo characters aren’t part of newest promotional push for 2020 event.
With the Olympics coming to Tokyo in 2020, promoters wanted an instantly identifiable image of vibrant Japanese energy, a role that the Nintendo icon, in many people’s minds, filled perfectly.