Forget Nipples: This Mario Manga Shows Off His Goomba

Remember last month when everyone was in an uproar with Mario being shirtless in Super Mario Odyssey? That was mere child's play compared to what fans discovered from one of his early manga appearances – his Mario wang.

Back in 1988, an approved Super Mario manga series was produced in Japan, and in one particular episode, the plumber-that's-no-longer-a-plumber is seen jumping around without his pants – and with his, ahem, goomba in plain sight.

The image is below, and while it's hardly not quite in the NSFW category, you'd probably best proceed with caution anyway. It's about as cartoon wang-y as cartoon wangs get.

come one come all, gather around boys and girls for the mythical mario penis pic.twitter.com/YlvmZr60kM

— Aubrey Cottle (@Kirtaner) October 25, 2017

The manga was originally published by Kodansha, tying in with a Super Mario game release at the time, probably Super Mario Land for the Game Boy. It's kind of interesting how Kodansha was able to get away with so much considering that Nintendo had officially licensed the comic.

If you need to get an idea of what this image has to do with the manga, a Twitter user by the name of Aubrey Cottie has posted two pages from the book, which we've also posted below in his tweet. It's really interesting stuff, and leaves you to question – just how hot tempered does Mario have to be to run around without his pants?!

yes this was officially licensed mario dong pic.twitter.com/4oFNHaY7c7

— Aubrey Cottle (@Kirtaner) October 25, 2017

There's no doubt that Nintendo has been playing it cool on Mario controversy since that time, as he's been wearing his suspenders for the next couple of decades across a number of adventures. It's only most recently that some fans have been noticing his new appearance in Super Mario Odyssey, in which one of his outfits has him in beachwear – and, yes, showing off his nipples.

Still, this is a bizarre piece of manga that fans may take interest in, only because it's so strange to see their hero without pants. Most mascots don't really wear pants anyway, but you get the idea.

Meanwhile, you can enjoy Mario in all his clothed glory with Super Mario Odyssey, which releases tomorrow on Nintendo Switch.